Stormy Weather
by Lucinders
Summary: AU: A chance encounter at a rustic bed and breakfast inn brings Owen and Cristina together
1. Chapter 1 Trip to Tulley's

**AU: A chance encounter at a rustic bed and breakfast inn brings Owen and Cristina together.**

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><p>Thirty-two-year-old Owen Hunt sat quietly on the patio of Tulley's Inn, a bed and breakfast establishment, where he had many childhood memories. His parents had frequented the inn, whenever they wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. He and his dad would spend many a day, hiking or exploring around the inn or fishing in the stream that ran near the back of the inn. It was a place where he could come and think about his life.<p>

There had been so much change in his life within the last few months. He had decided to give up his corporate job back in New York and moved back to Palo Alto. His mom, now widowed, was not in the best of health and she needed him to be closer to home. He had tried to persuade his girlfriend, Jenny to move to Palo Alto with him but she decided to stay in New York instead, ending their three-year relationship.

She said she was a New York girl through and through and moving to California was not in the cards for her. He respected her wishes and they ended their relationship, amicably. He moved out of the apartment they shared together and sent his belongings to a new condo townhouse he had bought in Palo Alto.

He got a job at Stanford, as an assistant professor at the business school. He had always enjoyed the academic track. He did his undergrad work at Stanford and had gone on to Columbia to do his PhD. In New York, he had been lured by the bright lights of Wall Street and had joined a major investment firm, where they considered him a hotshot on the street. The firm was very disappointed, when he quit, leaving behind his cushy job, office, salary and bonuses.

Owen really didn't need money, having made a fortune in his past investments. With his future financially secure, he could get back to his academic roots. His mom's illness had just been the impetus for him to start a new life.

He had come back to his childhood haunt so he could clear his head before the new school semester started. This rustic hideaway could make him forget about his real life at least for the weekend. He had planned to stay from Thursday night, before returning back to his townhouse on Sunday night.

As he relaxed on the porch, he caught a view of some of the newly-arrived weekend guests. Most interesting were the two pretty 20-something girls, who arrived by car. One was blonde, (he called her Goldie) and the other had the darkest curls he had ever seen. He decided to call her Raven.

Goldie was holding on tightly to Raven's hand and it almost seemed that she was dragging her friend into the inn. He wondered if they were friends or a couple. He hoped they were just friends because he felt an instant attraction to Raven. "What am I thinking?" he thought. "I just got out of a long-term relationship."

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><p>Meredith Grey was indeed dragging Cristina Yang into the inn. Cristina had been very reluctant to come but Meredith had forced her into the trip. Cristina had complained all the way down on the drive to Tulley's.<p>

Meredith had originally planned to come to the inn, with her boyfriend, Derek Shepherd but they had a huge fight and there was no way that she was going to spend a romantic weekend with Derek after that blow-out. Since the accommodations were already paid for, she had no choice but to go. She had managed to get Cristina packed and in the car and finally, the last hurdle, actually, trying to get them checked into their room.

Cristina complained, "What the hell am I going to do in the boondocks?" Meredith gave her an evil glare, as Mrs. Tulley, owner of the bed and breakfast, checked them in. Mrs. Tulley was a sweet old bird, with grey hair and sharp green eyes.

"Your room is on the third floor – 302. There is only one other guest on that floor – Owen. So it will be very quiet. You should have a chat with him; he has been coming here since he was a child, so he knows the inn and the surroundings very well," Mrs. Tulley said, as she handed over two old-fashioned keys to Meredith.

"Thank you, Mrs. Tulley," Meredith said, as Lorenzo, Mrs. Tulley's son, picked up their bags to carry it to their room. "Are you coming up, Cristina?"

Cristina replied, "No, I will just go and have a seat on the porch for a bit. I might as well enjoy the fresh air, while I am here."

"Oh, before I forget," Mrs. Tulley said. "The forecast says that we might have an electrical thunderstorm tonight and sometimes, the power goes out during the storms. Here are a few candles you can light. Don't worry, girls, the power comes back by morning."

"Just great," Cristina muttered, as she headed out to the porch.

There was already someone out there. A rather good-looking, redheaded gentleman was seated at one end of the porch. He nodded at her and smiled. She smiled back, politely.

"Nice evening," she said, making small talk, as she sat down on a bench.

"Yes, it is," he replied. He could smell her shampoo as the wind whipped at her curls and the scent wafted across towards him. It was the clean, fresh scent of green apples. It was rather enticing, he thought.

They both sat in silence, as they watched the setting sun. The sky was streaked red, orange and pink and it was absolutely gorgeous. Even though they didn't know each other, somehow, both of them felt it was something that they shared together.

As the sky darkened, she finally turned and bade him goodbye. He returned her farewell with a beaming smile.

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><p>She wandered up the flight of stairs to her room on the third floor, opened the door to discover a yellow room with a king-size bed on which Meredith was already passed out. She brushed her teeth and just fell into the bed, next to Meredith. They were so exhausted from that very long ride to the inn.<p>

They even slept through the thunderstorm that raged that night, and neither of them woke up, even though the building was lit up like a Christmas tree from the lightning flashes.

As Mrs. Tulley had predicted, the power was knocked out by the storm.

Cristina woke up to a pitch-black room, feeling a little bit hot and thirsty. She tried the lamp next to the bed but when it failed to light, she groaned as she realized the power was out. She felt her way to the dresser, where she found the candles that Mrs. Tulley had given to them earlier, and fumbled with the matches to light a candle. She was going to find the ice machine to get some ice, so she could have a tall, cold drink of water.

As she made her way out of the room, she left the door of the room open, so she wouldn't have to fumble with the key to get back in. She wandered down the corridor but it was an exercise in futility as she failed to find an ice machine. As she walked back to her room, she suddenly tripped; her candle fell and went out. The corridor became pitch-black.

"Great, just great," Cristina muttered as she picked herself off the floor. "Why did I ever come to this place? The things I do for Meredith. This place is so rustic, they haven't even bothered to invest in a generator."

She blindly inched her way along the corridor, feeling the walls until she found an open door. She stepped in and closed the door, quietly. She found her way to the bed, slipped off her jeans and crawled under the covers.

Owen stirred in his sleep. Was someone getting into his bed? He had left his door open after the storm to let the air circulate through his room. He didn't think that someone would come into his room. The scent of green apples wafted over to him and he knew exactly who it was. It was the girl with the raven curls.

Cristina whispered, "Meredith, do you know that there is no ice machine on this floor? I just fell down in the corridor and the darn candle went out. Good thing I left our door open, so I could find the room again."

Owen smiled from his side of the bed.

"Meredith, are you awake?" she asked. "Please don't try and spoon me tonight. I am not Derek."

Owen stayed as quiet as possible. At least he found out that the two girls were not a couple, since she had mentioned that Meredith (Goldie) had someone named Derek.

She settled down to sleep and soon, he could hear her even breathing, indicating that she was asleep. He also drifted back to dreamland.

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><p>It was early morning when Cristina woke up. Sunlight was already streaming through the windows. She stretched out her arms and yawned.<p>

"Wait a minute," she thought as she took a good look at the room. "I distinctly remember our room was yellow. This room is blue. I am in the wrong room."

She looked across at the person, who was sleeping on the other side of the bed. "What the hell?" she thought. "That's the red-headed guy from the patio. Oh my God, I have been sleeping in a bed with a total stranger." She was horrified, as she quietly slipped out of the bed. She tiptoed to the door and softly opened it. He would never know that she was there, she thought.

Owen was a light sleeper and he knew exactly when the bed shifted as she crawled out of it. He was greatly amused by her attempts at a quiet escape.

Cristina ran back into her room and jumped into the bed, waking up Meredith. "Meredith, wake up, wake up."

Meredith's eyes fluttered open. "Where were you, Cristina? I wanted to spoon you and you weren't there."

Cristina rolled her eyes. "That's because I was sleeping in the wrong room. The power went out last night and I went into the wrong room because I couldn't see. You would not believe this. I slept in the same bed with a total stranger. So glad that I got out of there before he woke up."

Meredith started laughing.

"This is not funny, Meredith. Oh my God. I just remembered. I took off my jeans before I got into the bed. They're still there, somewhere on the floor," Cristina shrieked in horror.

"Well, if he doesn't know that you were there, then he won't know who owns that pair of jeans," Meredith said in a consoling tone.

"Of course he will know. He knows that there are only two girls on this floor so it's either me or you," Cristina replied.

Meredith said, "Well, we will just leave him guessing, then. Come on, let's wash up and go downstairs and grab some breakfast. I hear the breakfasts here are legendary."

Meanwhile, back in his room, Owen got up to go to his bathroom. He did notice a tiny pair of skinny jeans lying on the wooden floor. He picked them up and grinned. He wondered if she was going to ask him about them. He folded them neatly and placed them on a chair. He went to the bathroom to freshen up and then, headed down to breakfast in the dining room.

Mrs. Tulley smiled broadly at Owen. It was heartening to see that little boy she had known all those years before, had grown into such a tall, strapping, handsome man. She placed him at his favorite table near the window and brought him his coffee and his breakfast.

He sat down to read the newspaper and kept an eye out for the raven-haired girl and her friend. As he saw them enter, he could see her scan the room, probably looking for him.

Their eyes met across the room. He smiled enigmatically at her.

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><p><strong>AN: PLEASE REVIEW. YOUR THOUGHTS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED**.


	2. Chapter 2 Breaking & entering

Meredith and Cristina took a table at one corner of the dining room, as Mrs. Tulley brought them their breakfast and coffee.

"I don't like how he smiled at me," Cristina said. "I think he knows it's me."

"Didn't you say he was asleep when you left? Then he can't know it's you," Meredith tried to reassure her.

"Yeah, but he's grinning like a Cheshire cat. That smug, inscrutable smile. I can't take it. I just want to smack it right off his face," she said. "I have to get back my jeans, Meredith. They are a True Religion pair and they cost me about $250. I need to get them back."

"How are you going to do that?" Meredith asked, as she sipped her coffee.

"We will have no choice but to break into his room and get them back," Cristina replied, as she pounded the table to emphasize her point.

"What? Breaking and entering is a crime, Cristina," Meredith said, worried.

"Don't worry, I will do the breaking and entering and you will be the lookout. We will wait until he leaves the hotel and then, I will go into his room and retrieve my jeans. It's not like if I am stealing, I am just taking back what belongs to me," Cristina said.

"Okay, then. How are you going to get in his room?" Meredith asked.

"That will be no worries. Judging from last night, he doesn't seem to lock his door. If I am wrong, I will just pick his lock. My cousin, Jonathan, taught me how to do that," Cristina said. "He used to get us in loads of trouble when we were kids."

"Wow, Cristina, you have skills that I never knew you had," Meredith said.

"Yeah, we will just wait for the right time," Cristina said, as she cut into her omelet.

Owen watched the two girls conversing in their corner. He was a little surprised that Raven had not come up to talk to him. He had smiled at her, in what he hoped had been a welcoming way. "Didn't she want her jeans back?" he wondered.

He did notice that she did throw a few glances his way and he was hopeful that it meant that she was planning to initiate a conversation at some time. But, alas, he was mistaken. He finished his meal, disappointed. He would just have to wait because it obviously needed to be her move.

He decided to take a morning walk around the property. He left the dining room and headed to the front door. Two pairs of eyes followed his every movement, as he left.

"Now is the time to strike," Cristina said, draining her coffee cup. "We're going to get my jeans back. Meredith, go out on the porch and keep a lookout. Just buzz me on my phone, when you see him coming back, so I will know to get out of there."

"Okay," as her blonde partner in crime stepped out of the front door and took a seat on the porch. Cristina, in the meantime, made a swift run up to the third floor. She tried the door handle on Room 301. It was locked.

"Oh, Mr. Redhead. Why do you make things so hard for me?" she said, removing a clip from her hair and started to jiggle the keyhole. After two minutes of intense work, Cristina finally got the lock to spring open. "Thank you, cousin Jonathan for your tutelage. My burgling skills are intact."

She went into the room. It was very neat and ordered. She looked around for her jeans. It was no longer on the floor where she had dropped it. Where could he have put it, she wondered.

Then, she spied them on a chair, next to the desk. She gleefully ran over to get them.

Unbeknownst to either Meredith or Cristina, Owen had curtailed his walk and had come through the back door of the inn. He had decided to take a hike instead and needed to change his shoes and pack a few supplies. He ran up the stairs to his room. He put the key into his door and strangely enough, the door was already open. He swore that he had locked the door, when he left that morning.

Cristina, on hearing the key jiggle in the lock, made a quick dive under the bed, with her jeans in hand.

Owen stepped in and took a quick look around to see if there was anything different about the room. He checked the closet and the bathroom and then he noticed that the pair of jeans that he had so neatly folded on the chair, was indeed missing. The little minx has been in here and taken them back, he thought.

Then it hit him. The undeniable smell of fresh green apples. Someone was still in the room, he noted. He smiled to himself. There was only one place she could be and that would be under the bed, since he had checked everywhere else.

If little Miss Raven thought that she was going to be a good burglar, she was wrong, he thought. "That green apple scent of her shampoo is like a signature calling card," he thought.

He was going to have a little fun with her and make her suffer a bit. "Serves her right for not wanting to talk to me," he thought.

He lay on the bed, as if he were going to take a nap. He turned and tossed for a while, making appropriate sighing noises.

Under the bed, Cristina was freaking out. Why the hell did Meredith not buzz her on the phone to warn her about the redhead's return? She wondered how long she would have to stay under the bed. She rested her head on her jeans. She would have to wait until he fell asleep or left the room.

After half an hour, Owen decided to lie as still as possible to give Cristina the false impression that he had fallen asleep. She listened intently to his breathing, satisfied that he was sleeping. She shimmied her way from under the bed, as quietly as possible. As she raised her head to above the bed, she was met with a pair of piercing blue eyes.

"Good morning, Raven," he said.

Cristina did not know what to do. "What did he just call me? Raven? That sounds like a good name for me, if I ever become a pro wrestler. Focus, Cristina, focus. You're going way off tangent here," she thought.

"Um," she said. "I just came to get my jeans."

"Yeah, I know. I was wondering how long it would take for you to come out from under there," he said.

She stood up and decided to make a quick exit.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" he said.

"I got my jeans and I am leaving," she answered.

"Yes, but we haven't talked about the fact that you broke into my room. Plus you also picked my lock because I know I locked that door before I left, this morning," he said.

"But I didn't take anything of yours," she protested. "I just came to get what belongs to me."

"You could have just asked me to give you back the jeans," he countered.

"Well, I didn't want you to know that it was me who left it there. Really kind of embarrassing," she said.

"Well, since you committed a crime, what should be the appropriate punishment?" he asked with a serious face, even though he wanted to laugh out loud.

"Should I ask Lorenzo to kick you and your friend out of this fine establishment?" he continued.

"No," Cristina pleaded. "Meredith already paid for us to stay three nights here. I don't want her money to be wasted. Please don't let them kick us out. It's my fault, don't punish Meredith because of it."

"Okay, so I have an idea, then. I am going on a hike, now and I would like some company. Why don't you join me and we will forget all about this?" he offered.

Cristina looked at him, intently. He didn't look like he was an axe murderer. He was too good-looking. But then again, so was Ted Bundy, the serial killer. She decided to take her chances.

"Okay," she agreed, reluctantly. Cristina was not a good outdoors kind of person but if going with him on the hike would stop her from getting and Meredith kicked out of the inn, she was going to endure it for just one day.

As she headed to the door, she asked, "Is there anything I need to bring?"

"No, I will get sandwiches and water from Mrs. Tulley. What you're wearing now is fine but you have to change your shoes into hiking boots. Bring a swimsuit and a towel, so we can take a swim in the lake," he said. "I'll meet you downstairs on the porch in 15 minutes."

"Alright," she sighed.

"Oh, by the way, Raven, what is your real name? I can't keep calling you by my made-up name for you," he said.

"I am Cristina," she said. To which he replied, "I am Owen." She nodded, as she left.

She went to her room and packed a swimsuit and a towel in her bag, along with her sunscreen. She also threw in a hairbrush because she was certain her hair was going to be a mess by the end of the day. She changed her wedge heels into a pair of hiking boots. She never thought that she was going to use the boots but she was now glad that she had brought them anyway. She combed her hair into two braids.

Cristina ran down the stairs and out on the porch to see Meredith, still on the lookout on the porch. "Meredith," Cristina screamed. "You have got to be the worst lookout in the history of burglary."

"What? I have been sitting out here close to an hour and he hasn't come back," Meredith said.

"He came back," Cristina shrieked. "He must have passed through the back entrance."

"You were caught?" Meredith asked.

"Of course. That just happens to be my luck. In any case, he threatened to have us kicked out of here for breaking and entering," Cristina said.

"I knew that nothing good would have come out of this," Meredith said.

"Don't worry, I fixed it. I just have to go on a hike with him for the day," Cristina said.

"Hiking? But you hate the outdoors!" Meredith exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I am going to do it anyway. Since I can't be with you today, what are you going to do?" Cristina asked.

"I guess I will go into town and check it out. Maybe, buy a few souvenirs," Meredith said.

At that point, Owen came out, dressed and ready to go hiking with a full knapsack.

"Are you ready, Cristina?" he asked.

She nodded, and followed him down the porch steps. She looked back at Meredith, rather woefully.

Meredith waved goodbye to her friend.

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><p><strong>AN: As always, PLEASE leave a review. They are what keep me going. Reviews are love.**


	3. Chapter 3 At the lake

Cristina distinctly remembered why she hated the outdoors. The bugs, the heat, the prickly bush, the sweating, the bugs. "Aaargh!" she screamed in her mind, as she swatted away another pesky insect.

She could not believe she was doing this. "I am in the middle of the freaking bush with a man I barely know. God help me survive this trek."

She watched the tall figure in front of her and watched his bare legs in shorts. They were muscular, strong legs. She stared at his back muscles and shoulders that seemed to be barely contained in his t-shirt. His biceps were bulging out of the short sleeves. He was a fine specimen, she concluded. If she was being honest with herself, she would have admitted that she was extremely physically attracted to him.

He looked back at her and wondered what she was thinking. She looked so damned adorable with those braids, and dressed in her khaki shorts, light blue t-shirt and tan hiking boots. She was so cute, he thought. Her brows were knitted together as if she was deep in thought.

If he had known what she was thinking, he would have been more than interested. "I wonder what it would be like if he ravaged me. Not a bad way to go. Cristina, get it together. What are you thinking, girl?" she thought.

He turned around. "We just have a little way to go again before we reach the lake. Are you doing alright back there?"

"Fine," she gritted through her teeth.

"Okay, then, just try and keep up and we will be there in no time," he said, encouragingly.

To Cristina, it seemed that they were walking forever. The sun seemed so hot and was sapping her energy by the minute. Her feet were getting so tired. She stopped under a tree and took out a bottle of water he had given her earlier. She drained the entire bottle; she was that thirsty.

She took a look around. If she wasn't so tired, she felt she would have better appreciated the scenery around her because it was breathtakingly beautiful. She hoped that they would reach the lake soon, because she just wanted to jump in the water and cool herself down.

Meanwhile, Owen, who was a little way ahead, took a look back and realized that she was nowhere to be seen. He ran back, panicked. He could not lose this girl, since he was the one who brought her out here. He was totally relieved when he saw her sitting under a tree.

"Hey," he said. "You gave me a scare. I thought I lost you. You should have told me that you wanted to stop and rest."

"You were too far ahead and I didn't feel like shouting," she said. "I was just a little bit tired and thirsty."

"It is not too far again," he said. Since he taken that trek many times, the hike seemed like nothing to him but for Cristina, it was an arduous journey.

"You said that half an hour ago," she complained.

"Trust me, 15 minutes and we'll be there," he said.

She got up, reluctantly. He looked at the tiny girl, "Do you want me to carry you?"

"No," she said. "That would be humiliating. I can get there on my own steam. What you can do for me is not walk too far ahead. One of your steps is equal to three of mine."

"Okay, let's go," he said. As promised, he slowed down his pace so she could keep up with him. He knew she was tired from the sound of her breathing but she was a determined little soul, as she kept trudging forward.

When they finally caught sight of the lake, it looked to Cristina like the most amazing place on earth. It was actually quite beautiful.

Owen put down his knapsack, "Isn't it lovely, Cristina?" There was no response. He looked around, just in time to see her disappear into the bushes.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Changing into my swimsuit. I want to feel that cool water all around me," she said. In a jiffy, she was out of the bushes and running into the water. He caught a brief glimpse of her tiny, red string bikini. He wished she had not run into the water so fast, he would have liked the opportunity to admire her body a little bit more. However brief was his look, he liked what he saw.

She made a little dive into the water. The water felt so fabulous, as she cooled off her hot, sweaty body. On shore, Owen had also changed into his board shorts behind some bushes. He watched her enjoying herself in the water, diving into the water and coming back up. He was going to join her, when he saw that she suddenly had a stricken look on her face.

"Hey, what's the matter? Are you in trouble? Are you having a leg cramp?" he yelled, concerned. He ran into the water and started swimming towards her.

He swam as fast as he could. "Are you okay?" he asked, when he reached her. "Do you need me to get you back to shore?" He watched her face turn a bright shade of pink.

"I'm okay, Owen. I'm just in a little bit of a pickle, here," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"I seem to have lost my top during my last dive. I just don't know where it has gone," she said.

He kicked back his head and laughed. "Oh, I thought it was something serious."

She was not pleased at him laughing at her predicament. "Excuse me but this is serious business for me."

"Sorry," he chuckled. "What can I do to help?"

"What you can do is swim back to shore and don't turn around until I tell you to do so," she said.

He swam back to the lakeshore and did not turn back to look at her. He could hear her swimming to shore. He wanted to sneak a peek but he chided himself from wanting to do so.

Cristina finally reached the shore and covered her bare breasts with her hands. She picked up her towel and her t-shirt and ran behind the bushes. She dried herself off, quickly and then pulled on her t-shirt over herself. She loosened her hair from its braids. She came out from behind the bushes and told him that he could turn around because she was now decent.

"So are you hungry?" he said, digging into his knapsack for the sandwiches that Mrs. Tulley had given to him. He had already laid a blanket on the ground for them to sit.

"Yes," she said, glad that he had graciously decided to change the topic from her missing bikini top. She knew that her swimsuit was flimsy, given that it was made for maximum sunning potential and not diving and swimming. She hadn't even realized that it had come off, until it was too late.

"I've got ham and cheese, roast beef and chicken," he said.

"I'll take the ham and cheese," she said, taking the sandwich from his hand. She bit into it. "This ham is delicious," she said, as she took a seat on the blanket.

"Yup," he said. "That Mrs. Tulley sure knows her way around a kitchen." He took out a roast beef sandwich for himself and two bottles of water. He handed her a bottle. "I brought a bag in which we can put our garbage, so we can carry it back to civilization and not dirty the pristine environment around here."

She nodded. She liked that he thought about bringing the garbage bag.

They munched their sandwiches in silence, just watching the water. She finished her sandwich and lay back on the blanket. She closed her eyes and in a matter of minutes, she had dropped off to dreamland. He watched her sleep; her hair was spread out on the blanket, her full lips looked pink and kissable. He lay down next to her and she, instinctively, curled her body against his. He smiled, as he pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her. He closed his eyes and soon enough, he, too, had fallen asleep.

A couple of hours later, he woke up and looked at his watch. They had slept longer than he had planned. They had to head back to the inn before it got too dark. He woke her up, "Hey, sleepyhead. We've got to get back to the inn." She opened her eyes, reluctantly. She wasn't really looking forward to the walk back. At least it was cooler than earlier in the day.

Owen looked up at the skies and he didn't like what he saw. It was getting darker and cooler because of the rain clouds that were gathering in the sky. He gathered up their belongings and repacked them into his knapsack. He didn't want to be caught out in a rainstorm with this novice hiker.

Cristina pulled on her shorts and put back on her boots. Owen did the same. "Cristina, we have to get out of here, fast. See those clouds, we're going to have a rainstorm. We're going to have to make a fast trek. Are you up for that?"

She nodded. They had only walked for about half an hour, when Owen made a decision. Very large raindrops were already hitting them from above. "Come on," he said, grabbing her hand. "We're going to run to a place I know."

They started to run and as they ran, the rain started coming down even harder. Cristina couldn't even see in front of her; she just held on to Owen's hand and allowed him to take the lead. They finally arrived at a cabin. He pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the door.

"What is this place?" Cristina asked. Owen found a lamp in the cabin and lit it, quickly. "Come on in," he said. "I will find the other lamps and light them all up."

After lighting the place up with all of the lamps, Cristina took a good look at the place. It was a nicely furnished open space with a bed, furniture, kitchen and dining area. There was even a bathroom. "Wow," she said. "I didn't know such a place existed out here."

"Yeah, this belongs to the inn. Sometimes, guests would like to come up to the lake and stay overnight. So Mrs. Tulley stocks the place with fresh bed linens, towels, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste – everything you would need if you want to stay overnight. There are also cans of food in the cupboard, too. There is no electricity, so we all have these lamps to light the place. However, there is running water, using a filtered rain water system, so we have water in the bathroom and the kitchen," he said. He took a good look at her; she was soaked to the bone. He could see the curve of her breasts under her wet t-shirt.

He took one of his t-shirts from his knapsack and gave it to her. "Why don't you take off your wet clothes and put this on?"

"How much stuff do you have in that magical knapsack of yours?" she asked.

"Much less than you think," he said. She went to the bathroom and took off her wet clothes, hung them up to dry and put on his t-shirt. It was so big; it fit her like a dress. She came out. He had already changed out of his wet clothes and was wearing a new t-shirt and his boxer briefs. "I'm hungry," she said.

"I still have a couple of sandwiches," he said. He handed her a sandwich, while he took out another one for himself.

"How is it that you had the key for this place?" she asked.

"When I told Mrs. Tulley that I was coming up here, she gave me the key," he said.

"Why didn't you mention it before?" she asked.

"Well, I thought it would have been presumptuous of me to expect that we would spend the night here," he said.

"Turns out that it was a good thing that you did have that key," she said.

Meanwhile, back at the inn, Meredith was anxiously looking out for Cristina. She was getting extremely worried. The rain was coming down in sheets and Cristina had not yet returned from her hike with the redheaded stranger. She could not get on to Cristina by phone because there was no cell service at the lake.

She went to Mrs. Tulley to express her concerns. "Don't worry, Miss Grey. Your friend is with Owen. She is in good hands. He will take care of her," Mrs. Tulley said. "I am sure they will be back by morning. Besides, we can't really go out in this rain, right now."

Mrs. Tulley knew that Owen and Cristina were going to be alright, since she had given Owen the key to the cabin that morning. She had observed the way he looked at the dark-haired girl during breakfast. So when she found out that they were going on a hike to the lake, she gave him the key. Mrs. Tulley was a total romantic at heart.

Meredith went back to her room, unable to sleep, wondering what had happened to her best friend.

At the cabin, Owen and Cristina were discussing sleeping arrangements. He said he would take the couch, while she could have the bed. As they bedded down for the night, he lay down on the couch and groaned. The couch was a killer; he could well imagine the state of his back in the morning. Worse yet, he was too big for the couch. He turned once and fell off the couch and on to the floor.

Cristina called out to him, "Owen, we can share the bed. It's no secret that we have slept in the same bed before. Come on." He was grateful, as he climbed into the bed, next to her. This bed was only full-size, a far cry from the king-sized bed they had shared the night before; in this bed, their bodies were in very close quarters.

She snuggled up against him. He was surprised because while she had curled up next to him earlier at the lake, she had been asleep. He knew she was awake and therefore, fully aware of what she was doing.

Cristina knew exactly what she was doing, as she buried her face against his chest. He somehow made her feel safe and comforted plus she loved the way he smelled. It was a clean, masculine scent, and it turned her on.

He responded by wrapping his arms around her. The sound of the rain on the roof soon lulled them to sleep.

Later that night, he was awakened by the feel of soft kisses on his face and neck. He opened his eyes and gazed at her with a questioning look.

"Cristina," he said. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yes," she said, as she reached up and gathered his lips with her own.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave reviews. It's the only thing that keeps me going.**


	4. Chapter 4 The cabin

**A/N: I am not good at writing sex. But I will try my best. Don't laugh.**

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><p>She reached up and grabbed his face, as she claimed his lips with her own. He responded immediately, kissing her back and pushing her lips apart with his tongue. He had wanted to kiss those lips from the first time he saw her, when she arrived at the inn. Their kissing became ever more fervent, as he felt her small hands go under his t-shirt to sensuously massage his chest and stomach.<p>

She certainly let him clearly know what her intentions were when he felt one of her hands slip under his boxer briefs and hold on to his penis. As she began to stroke it, she commanded, "Take it off now." He slipped off his t-shirt and boxer briefs and helped her out of her shirt and panties.

She started kissing and biting him across his chest, as she continued her journey southwards. He gasped when she slipped his large cock into her mouth and started slowly licking its shaft. She popped the tip into her mouth and sucked on it lightly, driving him crazy. Swirling the tip in her mouth, she let her tongue tickle the neck of his cock, as she continued to stroke him with her tiny hands. She started going down on his dick, fast and hard, sucking greedily on it like if it was a strawberry ice pop. When she looked up at him with his cock in her mouth, he could have almost blown his load. "Girl, you're trying to kill me here," he said.

Satisfied that he was ready for her, she rose up back to him to kiss him on his mouth, their tongues caressing each other's. He whispered, "Do you want me to return the favor?" as he slipped two fingers into her, noting that she was already wet for him.

"Not right now. I just want you inside of me," she said.

"I don't have a condom, unless you want me to go outside and fashion one out of a leaf," he said.

She giggled. "It's okay, I'm on the pill."

He didn't need to be told twice, as he plunged into her with one swift thrust. "Oh my God," she said, as she felt him fill her up to the hilt.

"I want it swift and hard, baby," she said. "Fuck me like you own me."

Being inside of her was incredible, Owen thought. She was wet and slippery and oh-so-tight. His thrusts were deep and hard like she wanted. If she wanted to be pounded, he was certainly going to give her that.

He pushed back her legs so he could get deeper inside of her. He wondered how her tiny body could take him hammering into her. She held on the bars of the headboard, as she took him all in. She pushed up her body to meet each of his thrusts, so he could get more into her.

This was freaking glorious sex, she thought. She looked up at him above her, looking so big and strong and gorgeous. This was the way to go, she thought.

He bent down to kiss her and she could taste the sweat on his face. He could feel himself at the peak of ecstasy but there was no way he was going to climax first. He continued thrusting, as he rubbed her clit, vigorously. It was only when he felt her walls tighten around him, her breathing got increasingly shallow and her moans got exponentially louder, did he allow himself to release his seed.

His mouth was latched on to her neck as he exploded into her, biting hard on her pale skin. She knew that she was going to get a really nasty mark on her neck but she didn't care at that point.

As he rolled off of her, he tried to catch his breath. He looked at her, amazed that she had just allowed him to do that.

"That was so good," he said. He loved how raw and uninhibited it was. She didn't hold back anything.

"Yup," she said. "Ready to return the favor, now?"

He grinned as he went down on her.

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><p>He woke up and he looked at the small person curled up next to him. Did last night really happen? Well, he was naked and so was she, so clearly, it had happened. He was surprised how unrestrained a lover she was. It was probably the best sex he had ever had in his life. They had sex four times that night so that they were totally drained by the time they eventually fell asleep. He had never wanted someone like that before in his life.<p>

He eased himself away from her and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and for a shower. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he got a good look at all of the love bites across his chest, neck and shoulders. "Whoa," he thought, "she gave as good as she got." The thought of their lovemaking made him smile.

Toweling off himself as he came out of the bathroom, he went to the bed to shake her awake. "Cristina, baby, time to get up." She opened her eyes and stretched. She smiled and said, "Hey there."

"Why don't you go grab a shower and I will make us some breakfast. I put out a fresh towel for you," he said. She got up and went to the bathroom. He marveled at her lack of modesty as she walked totally nude to the bathroom. Yesterday, the girl had been hiding her bare breasts from him. What a difference a night makes, he thought.

He had found some crackers and a can of tuna in the cupboard and had just put together two plates, one for him and one for her, when she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a huge towel. Her hair was still damp from washing it.

She dropped her now-dry clothes onto the bed and unceremoniously removed her towel to get dressed. He saw the evidence of last night's activities clearly marked on her body. Not only did she have a cherry-red hickey on her neck, there were also visible love marks on her breasts, stomach and on her legs. He began to feel aroused again at the sight of what he had done.

He called out to her, "Don't."

She answered, "Don't what?"

He rushed forward and pushed her gently on to the bed, "Don't put on your clothes as yet. I want to taste you again." He pushed apart her legs and he let his tongue go to work on her. She closed her eyes to enjoy it all. It was going to be a very good morning, she thought.

If it weren't for the fact that they had a long walk back to the inn, they probably would have had a full repeat session of what happened the night before. But they forced themselves to get dressed, eat breakfast and start their walk back to the inn.

By the time they got to the inn, it was close to lunchtime. Meredith had been waiting patiently for their return. On spotting her friend, Meredith ran out and hugged her.

"I was so worried, Cristina. I couldn't sleep the entire night. You were out there all alone with that stranger. Anything could have happened to you," Meredith said. Then she spotted the glaringly obvious red mark on Cristina's neck.

"Is that a hickey? Did you have dirty sex with that man?" Meredith said, as she pointed to Owen with her eyes. Cristina grinned in response.

Mrs. Tulley was also out on the patio to greet the two wayward hikers. Owen handed her the key to the cabin.

"Thank you, Mrs. Tulley. It was a lifesaver," he said.

"Owen, I knew you two would be alright. Did everything work out to your satisfaction?" she asked, slyly.

"Yes, Mrs Tulley. Better than I expected," he said. He looked at Cristina and Meredith, chatting on the patio. Meredith seemed rather displeased and she gave him a mean glare. He didn't really care what Meredith thought. He was only concerned with what Cristina was thinking.

"Cristina," he said. "I want to head out to town for lunch. Why don't you go get changed? I'll meet you down here in about 30 minutes." She nodded. He headed up to his room to shower and change.

Cristina and Meredith went to their room, where Meredith hoped she would be able to talk some sense into Cristina.

As Cristina showered, she could hear Meredith going on and on about how wrong it all was. Cristina chose to tune her out.

"This is so not like you, Cristina," Meredith said, as Cristina emerged from the bathroom.

"You do not sleep with guys you barely know."

Cristina pulled out a periwinkle blue sundress from out of her suitcase. "You shouldn't talk, Meredith. In all of the years we have lived together, you have brought home a whole parade of guys you've picked up at a bar. I sleep in the next room, so I know exactly what is going on."

"That's me, Cristina. I do that. You have never done that. You go from serious relationship to serious relationship. Is this rebound sex, Cristina? You just broke up with Preston, two weeks ago," Meredith said.

"Don't mention that jerk's name to me," Cristina said, as she slipped on the sundress over her shoulders.

"But you and Preston break up and always come back together," Meredith said.

"Well, maybe there is a reason we keep breaking up. He is a total moron, Meredith," Cristina said. "Oh, come on, why can't I have a bit of fun? The guy is gorgeous, the sex is pretty amazing and I am enjoying myself, thoroughly."

"Because tomorrow, we drive back to school and we go back to our real lives. You won't ever see this guy, again," Meredith said.

Cristina answered, "Don't you think I know that? I don't even know his last name and I don't plan on learning it. This is a weekend fling at a country inn."

Meredith was still not happy. "Do you plan on sleeping with him tonight?"

"Probably," Cristina answered. "Meredith, it was the best sex I ever had. I may never taste that again."

She had put on some light make-up, a little bit of blush and a soft fuchsia lipstick. "I think I'm ready. Are you going to be alright? I know this was supposed to be a girls' weekend and we were supposed to spend it together. I'll make it up to you," Cristina said.

"Go ahead, Cristina. Just remember it is a weekend fling. Keep repeating that to yourself," Meredith said.

Cristina headed downstairs and found Owen already waiting for her on the patio. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "You look beautiful," he said.

"Thank you, kind sir," Cristina said, as she took his hand as they walked to his SUV. Mrs. Tulley watched the couple from her office and smiled.

They headed into the small town, where they had lunch at one of the local restaurants. After lunch, they walked around and he bought her a gold charm bracelet that he saw in a shop window. "Just something to remember me by," he said, letting her know that he was aware of the brevity of their relationship. She put it on her wrist and held his face in her hands and gently kissed his lips. "Thank you," she said.

It was dinnertime when they returned to the inn. Mrs. Tulley had prepared a fine feast and all of the guests were partaking of the supper. Meredith eyed Cristina and Owen being all very coupley, stealing kisses, eating from each other's plates and indulging in public displays of affection. If she didn't know better, one would have thought that they had been together for years.

Mrs. Tulley was also observing the couple. When Owen had arrived on Thursday afternoon, he seemed to be a little down. Yet, two days later, he looked like a totally changed person. He was laughing and smiling and she knew that it was the girl that was responsible for the change in him. She hoped that maybe they would continue their relationship, once they left the inn.

When dinner was over, Cristina and Meredith went back to her room. Cristina changed out of her sundress, took another shower, brushed her teeth and slipped on her pajamas. She told Meredith good night and went into the room next to theirs.

"Hey," she said. "Sorry about the pajamas. I didn't think I would have needed sexy lingerie up here."

"That's okay. Cotton pjs turns me on," he said, as he pulled her on to his lap. She buried her face into his neck and breathed in his scent. "I like the way you smell," she said. "That turns me on." She started kissing him on the neck, moving up to his ears and then his cheeks and finally, his mouth.

He picked her up and placed her gently on his bed. Unlike the frenzied night of sex they had before, they both knew that this was different. It was going to be slower and gentler but still full of the passion they had previously shared. In a way, they knew they were saying goodbye to each other.

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><p>The next morning, she woke up early, aware that Meredith wanted to leave to start their long drive back home. She put on back her pj top and found her pj pants but she could not find her panties. She realized he was probably lying on top of them.<p>

Before she left, she went and looked at him. He looked so peaceful. She kissed two of her fingers and lightly rested them on his lips.

She let herself out and Owen opened his eyes. He knew exactly when she had left his bed. It took out a lot of him not to run after her.

Cristina found Meredith already packed and waiting. "I was just waiting for you."

"Okay, I am going to take a quick shower and we'll be on our way," Cristina said.

"Did you tell your lover goodbye?" Meredith said.

"He was still sleeping," Cristina answered. "I also lost my panties."

Soon, they were on their way, leaving behind Tulley's and all of its memories.

Owen sat in the dining room, having his breakfast. The place seemed so empty without her. He appeared dispirited.

As Mrs. Tulley came to refill his coffee cup, she said, "She's gone."

He nodded. "I think I am going to leave earlier than I planned," he told her. "Going to start work tomorrow. Got to get there early."

Mrs. Tulley understood. He didn't want to hang around there anymore because she was gone. She nodded and left him to his thoughts.

He left an hour later, armed with some of Mrs. Tulley's delicious sandwiches, ready to start his new life.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Reviews are love.**


	5. Chapter 5 And we meet again

**A/N: A couple of things I have to note to clear up some confusion from the reviews that have been posted. Owen is not a medical doctor in this story; he is a business school professor who used to work on Wall Street, as I stated in Chapter 1. Cristina and Meredith are both PhD students at the business school, though I have never mentioned this before, until this chapter. Nothing in this story is related to medicine or Seattle Grace.**

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><p>"Oh, great!" Cristina said in an exasperated tone. She was sitting at their breakfast table on the computer.<p>

"What's the matter?" Meredith asked.

"Just checking up on my email, which I didn't bother to check over the weekend because I was too busy either getting lost in the wilderness or having sex," Cristina grinned. "I just found out that my academic advisor, Dr Perkins has gone to Asia for the next year. His grant came through on the research he wanted to do on the Asian financial markets and the dude just left. He sent me an email telling me that I have a new advisor, named Dr. Hunt, a new prof, who just joined the faculty."

"That's a bummer," Meredith said, as she munched on her bagel and cream cheese. "Especially since you're halfway through your dissertation."

"Yup. Hunt is supposed to be some hotshot from Wall Street. Probably made a fortune there. I hope he can teach me how to make a million before I hit 25," Cristina said.

"Dr. Perkins says I should go and meet him today. Room 312. I guess I have no choice," she added, as she finished the last bit of her English muffin and raspberry jam. "Oh, by the way, did Derek call you?"

"Yeah, he was all apologetic about everything, so we're going to see each other tonight," Meredith said.

"I don't think I am going to give Preston the time of day," Cristina said. "I am too tired of his controlling ways. He always wants me to be a certain way. I am fed up of his crap. Anyway, I'm going to get dressed and meet Dr. Hunt. I hope he is a cool guy."

She headed to her bedroom and changed into a white shirt, dark pair of jeans and boots. She looked at the gold charm bracelet on her dresser. "Ah, Owen," she said in a tender voice. "I do miss you." She picked it up and put it on her wrist. She headed out the door, eager to meet her new advisor.

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><p>Dr. Owen Hunt was in his new office at Room 312 at Stanford Business School. He had just received an email from the head of the department that he had been assigned as an academic advisor for a PhD finance student. Apparently, her original advisor had received a research grant and left for Asia. He looked at the file attachment regarding the student – C. Yang. He needed to get this office straightened up before he could even look at that file, he thought, as he opened up another box of books. He started packing his books on the shelves and his mind began to wander about his past weekend and the girl he had met. He could feel the stirrings in his groin. He had thought about her several times, since he had returned home.<p>

He wondered if they had been wrong. Maybe they could have sustained a long distance relationship, he thought. Maybe they didn't just try hard enough to see whether it could have worked. It just didn't help that just thinking about the girl created a physical and emotional response within him. He could still taste her on his lips. "You have to forget her, Owen," he chided himself. "She's gone. You don't even know her last name."

He picked up another box of books but the bottom of it collapsed. "Dammit," he said, as he got down on the floor to pick up the scattered books.

There was a sharp knock on the door and a very familiar voice said, "Hi, Dr. Hunt. Oh, I see you have a bit of a mess there. I am Cristina Yang and I've been told that you are my new advisor." He knew that voice. He looked up and saw her pretty face.

"Cristina," he said. It was like a dream come true, he thought.

"Owen?" she said. "You're Dr. Hunt? Oh my God." It was like a nightmare gone wrong, she thought.

She immediately backed out of the room, her face in complete shock. She then took off, running down the corridor. He got up from the floor and started to give chase.

"Cristina," he called out but she wasn't looking back. Cristina, who was in the midst of a panic attack, heard him but she refused to turn around. She ran into the ladies' room. There was no way he could follow her in there.

She ran to the sink and ran some cool water on her face. "Oh, my God," she thought. "How can this be happening to me?" The man, whose mouth, tongue, fingers and penis had the most intimate knowledge of her private parts, was her academic advisor

She heard a knock on the door. "Cristina, I know you're in there. Come on out and let's talk," she heard him say. Maybe if she stayed in there long enough, he would go away.

A blonde girl was headed to the bathroom. Owen stopped her, "Excuse me, miss. You'll see a small Asian girl with long, curly hair in there. Just tell her that Owen is out here and that I am not going away, until she comes out. Can you do that for me, please?"

"Sure," the blonde said.

Cristina was now leaning against the wall with her head in her hands, when the blonde girl saw her.

"Hey," the blonde said. "There's a really gorgeous guy out there, who said he is not leaving until you come out of here. If he's the one who gave you that hickey, you are one lucky girl."

Cristina nodded at her. She had no choice; she had to face him. "Thank you," she said, as she headed out of the bathroom.

As she opened the door, Owen perked up. "Hey there now. Let's go to my office. We can talk in private there."

She reluctantly followed him back to his office.

"Come on in," he said. "Have a seat."

She sat quietly in a chair and put her book bag on the floor next to her chair. He was pleased to see that she was wearing the gold charm bracelet that he gave her. If she was wearing it, it meant that she still thought about him.

"So isn't this a big surprise?" he said, smiling encouragingly at her.

"I think surprise is an understatement," she responded. "More like a shock."

"Maybe, it's fate," he said.

"You mean like fate is playing a cruel trick on me," she said.

"Well, I wouldn't quite put it like that," he said. "Fate has set it up that we meet again. Maybe it is telling us that our lives are supposed to intersect with one another. Seriously, what are the odds of this happening?"

"Are you saying that you want to continue what we started at the inn?" she asked.

"Yes. We hadn't planned to ever see each other again. We didn't even know each other's last names. Then, you show up today at my office after we spend a weekend together. Maybe it wasn't supposed to be just a weekend fling," he said.

She gave him an incredulous look.

"I don't think so, sir. You are my academic advisor. There are rules against fraternization. We cannot be in a relationship because people will think you would be unfairly helping me or favoring me and that I am giving you sexual favors in return," she said. "That is something I cannot deal with."

She continued, "What happened between you and me at Tulley's was like a fantasy. What we had is a memory that I will always treasure. But we have come back to real life, sir. I am a PhD student and you are my advisor. We cannot get away from that."

"What if I'm no longer your advisor?" he asked.

"I just lost my original advisor. I can't afford to lose a second advisor. People will think that there is something wrong with me," she said. "Why would you give me up as your student when you haven't even worked with me as yet? They would think that I am difficult."

He pulled her up from her seat. He took her face into his hands and he kissed her, passionately. She didn't want to respond but she found her self, kissing him back. She could feel the same tingle that she had felt over the weekend. When he finally broke away from her, he said, "Can you tell me that you didn't feel anything?"

"That's not the point, sir. We have amazing chemistry; I already know that. My academic career is very important to me, sir. I would expect as my advisor that you would be able to guide me on this journey," she said.

He sighed. She didn't seem to be budging.

"Okay, if that's the way you feel. Let just me get settled into my office, today and tomorrow, we can set up a meeting to discuss your research and dissertation," he said, clearly disappointed. "Would 10 a.m. be good for you?"

"Yes, sir. That will be fine. Welcome to Stanford, sir," she said, as she picked up her book bag and left.

Her feet could not take her fast enough to find Meredith, who was in the library. "It is clear the universe hates me."

"Why? What happened? Is it Preston?" Meredith said, looking up from the book she was reading.

"You would never believe who my new academic advisor is." Cristina said.

"Didn't you say his name was Dr. Hunt?" Meredith said.

"Yes, but his first name is Owen. You remember Owen, the redhead from Tulley's, with whom I had the most incredible sex," Cristina said.

"Oh my God! The universe really does hate you," Meredith concurred.

"He started telling me that maybe it was fate that we met again. And he wanted to try a relationship," Cristina told her friend, as she touched the bracelet on her wrist.

"You told him no. Right?" Meredith said.

"Yes, I told him no but I was sorely tempted to say yes. He looked so hot and so gorgeous and he kissed me and I almost weakened. My knees almost gave way," Cristina said. "I kept telling myself that he is my advisor."

Back in his office, Owen was disappointed at Cristina's decision. He had never felt such a physical or emotional connection with another human being, as he had with Cristina. Even his three-year relationship with Jen did not match what he felt for the girl. He had never felt that excited or passionate before about someone. It was going to be very difficult, working with her and being in such close proximity to her, when he all wanted to do was take her in his arms and make love to her. Even now after having just seen her, his body ached for her.

He made a decision that he was not going to push her but he was going to hold on to the hope that maybe, in the not-too-distant future, she would change her mind and change advisors. He just hoped that he wasn't wrong that she felt something back for him, too.

In the library, Cristina touched her lips and remembered his kiss.

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><p><strong>AN: Please don't forget to leave a review. Thanks much. Always appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6 Preston

It had been a month since Cristina had told Owen that she did not want to pursue a relationship with him. It had been a difficult month for him, especially when she was in his office. He found himself staring at her lips when she spoke and wondered when he might ever kiss those lips again.

As her advisor, he found her to be a particularly impressive student. Her research into her dissertation so far had been excellent. He found her to be insightful, articulate and very intelligent. They often had spirited intellectual arguments, which they both enjoyed. He loved everything about her. He had never fell so hard or so fast for anyone in his life but the boundaries of their relationship, as outlined by Cristina, made it difficult to pursue anything.

One afternoon, he was having a late lunch in the cafeteria. He saw her enter the dining area, trying to balance her book bag, her laptop and her lunch tray. She finally settled at a table just in front of him. She hadn't noticed him, as she was turned away from him. He contemplated going to join her but before he could do that, an impeccably dressed man had made a beeline straight towards Cristina. The tall, dark man was dressed in a beige turtleneck, camel jacket and khaki pants and he had a noticeably arrogant air about him. He looked to be a couple of years older than Owen, possibly around 35.

Owen didn't really mean to listen to their conversation but since it was being played out right in front of him, he had no choice.

"Cristina, I haven't heard from you in over six weeks," the dark man said, as he sat at her table, facing her. His position gave Owen a clear look of his face.

"Why should you? We've broken up, Preston. We are not together. There is no reason for you to hear from me," she said, looking straight at him. "I deleted your number from my phone six weeks ago, anyway."

"Well, our history has been that whenever we break up, we usually get back together. I think it is time we get back together," Preston said.

"Not this time, Preston. I don't want to get back together with you. We were together for a year and we broke up four times in those 12 months. Doesn't that tell you something? We are not meant to be," she said. "Besides, we have never discussed the root of our problem."

"And what is that?" he said.

"I cannot be what you want me to be. I am not going to be a cultured society lady like your mom. That's not me. I don't care about social events and charity balls. I don't want to be the girl on your arm at these events. I don't care about showing a good face to everyone. It's all pretense, Preston," she said.

"Besides," she added. "I've done things since we've been apart that you would not approve of."

"What do you mean? Have you slept with someone, Cristina?" he asked.

"And what if I have? Does it really matter? And the answer to your question is a most resounding YES. I slept with someone and you know what? It was the best sex I ever had in my life," she said, defiantly.

Owen could not help but smile, feeling more than a little proud of himself.

Cristina continued, "I had hot, sweaty, mind-blowing sex with someone else! Does that disgust you, Preston? Do I disgust you?"

Preston swallowed hard. The girl drove him positively batty, he thought.

"I can forgive your transgression, Cristina. We can work it out," he said.

"What transgression? How can it be a transgression if we're not even together? I only slept with one guy but I could have slept with five guys and still, it would not have been a transgression. We are not together. I didn't cheat on you," she said, her voice rising a little.

"Keep your voice down, Cristina. We don't want people looking at us," he said.

"You know what? I don't care," she said. "Why don't you just leave? We are over. Done. Punto finale."

She opened her laptop and started to type, totally ignoring him. Preston realized that she was dismissing him from her presence. He got up and walked out of the cafeteria, avoiding the stares of the other diners in the cafeteria.

Owen looked at Cristina at her table and he could see her shoulders shaking. He knew she was sobbing. He didn't like to see her like this so he went to her table, sat down next to her and handed her a napkin to wipe her tears.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She looked at him through watery eyes.

"Did you see that?" she asked. He nodded, which made her cry even harder.

"He just gets me so mad. He always wanted me to be a certain way and it was too much pressure trying to be this person that he was trying to mold me into. I am not that person. He was always trying to control what I did, how I behaved," she said.

"It's okay, you can just be you," he said. She rested her head on his chest. He just let her cry.

Ten minutes later, she finally stopped sobbing. His shirt was wet from her tears.

"I'm sorry for messing up your shirt," she said.

"It's okay, Cristina. Are you alright now? I have a departmental meeting but I won't leave you if you're not okay," he said.

"I am okay. I just hate Preston Burke. That's all," she said.

"Alright then. I will see you tomorrow for our meeting," he said.

"Yes, I won't be late," she said. "I've made some great progress in my research and I want to tell you about it."

"Okay, bye, Cristina. Take care of yourself," he said, as he got up and walked away.

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><p>At the departmental meeting, he found his mind drifting with thoughts of Cristina. Professor Mark Sloan jabbed him on the ribs to bring him back to reality.<p>

"Dr Hunt, is your mind elsewhere? I was just asking how well you've settled down," Professor Richard Webber, the departmental head said.

"It has been fine. Everyone has been extremely helpful," Owen said, a little embarrassed.

"Sorry for dropping that graduate student on you without notice. Perkins' grant came through a little suddenly and he had to leave. How is Cristina Yang working out?" Webber asked.

"She's quite impressive. Very, very bright. I am enjoying working with her," Owen said, truthfully.

"And, Sloan, what about Jackson Avery, Perkins' other grad student?" Webber enquired.

"Avery? He is a smart kid but a little bit lazy. Been riding through life on his good looks. But I have not let up on the kid," Sloan said.

When the meeting ended, Sloan latched on Owen to pass on a bit of information about Cristina. "So how is Yang really working out? You know she had a professor from the law school totally chasing her. Preston Burke. She drove him crazy. Had him jumping through hoops. You have to be careful around that one," Sloan said.

Owen said, "I haven't had any problems, Sloan." He was offended that Sloan was talking about Cristina like that. The man was a total gossip, he thought. Owen gave him a curt goodbye.

So Burke was from the law school. She apparently had no problems dating him, he thought, feeling a little bit bitter. He knew it was irrational to feel that way since Burke was from a totally different area and therefore, there would be no conflict of interest with him dating Cristina. Still, he felt aggrieved about the whole situation.

* * *

><p>The next day, Cristina arrived a little bit early for their usual progress meetings. She looked more dressed up than usual, her hair was up and she wore dangly earrings. He wondered what was up with her.<p>

"Good afternoon, Dr. Hunt," she said, as she sat down.

"Good afternoon, Cristina. How are you doing today?" he asked.

"Better than yesterday. I want to apologize for everything. I didn't mean to be so emotionally distraught in front of you," she said.

"That's okay. No apology necessary. I was just glad I was there to help you out," he said.

"Thanks, Dr. Hunt. Shall we get started? I want to finish a little early, today, if that's okay with you. That's why I came earlier than usual," she said.

"No problem," he said. "So tell me about your research."

Before they knew it, two hours had passed. They really enjoyed their meetings together. Time just flew by without them even noticing. They were having a laugh, when there was a sharp knock on the door.

"Come in," Owen said. A handsome young man with beautiful green eyes stuck his head in.

"Sorry to disturb you, Dr Hunt. Just wanted to ask Cristina something," the young man said.

"Hi Jackson," Cristina said.

"How much longer will you be?" Jackson said.

"I think about 15 minutes," she replied.

"Okay," Jackson said. "Meet me in the courtyard. Apologies, again, Dr Hunt for disturbing you." He quietly closed the door.

"Dr. Hunt, that's why I needed to leave early today. Jackson and I going to catch a movie," she said. When she said that, it was as if she had taken the pen in her hand and stabbed him through the heart. The realization that she had a date gave him a twinge of pain. He knew he shouldn't feel like this, given that their relationship was purely professional.

She could see the change in his eyes, when she told him she had a date. She didn't mean to hurt him because it was clear to her that he still had feelings for her. She had feelings for him, too but she would not have admitted it.

"You better go ahead, Cristina," he said.

"Okay, thank you, Dr. Hunt," she said, as she gathered up her papers and books and packed them back into her bag. "Have a good night."

As she left, he looked out of his window and saw Jackson waiting for Cristina. She joined him a little after and he watched as Jackson took Cristina's hand into his own as they walked away, together.

In that instant, he made up his mind. He was going to quit moping around. He had to stop feeling this way. He was going to ask someone out on a date. Professor Webber's secretary, Amanda, had always been very flirtatious towards him. She was an attractive woman in her 30's. She was a woman, he reminded himself, not a 24-year-old like Cristina. In fact, he was going to ask her out, now. He walked to Professor Webber's office.

"Amanda," he said. The brunette looked up and was pleased to see the gorgeous Dr. Hunt.

"Good evening, Dr Hunt," she said, eagerly.

"I was wondering whether you would like to go out with me," he said.

Amanda was shocked. She had been sending signals to Dr. Hunt for the past month that she was interested but he had not shown any interest.

"Yes, Dr. Hunt," she said.

"Call me Owen. Would you like to meet me at Caffe Riace at 8 p.m. tonight or do you want me to pick you up?" he asked.

"I will meet you there," Amanda said.

"Fine," he said. "I'll see you then."

She watched his retreating figure, wondering how she got so lucky.

* * *

><p>At 8 p.m., Owen was waiting for the arrival of Amanda. He saw her, as she came in. She cut an attractive figure in a navy blue dress.<p>

"You look lovely," he told her, as he pulled out her chair for her.

"Thank you, Owen," she said.

The waiter came across and took their drink order. He ordered a scotch and soda, while she ordered a white wine spritzer.

They were busy chatting, when someone coming into the restaurant, caught his eye. It was Cristina. He could recognize that curly head of hair anywhere. She was accompanied by the same handsome young man. It seemed that they were having dinner after their movie date.

Owen could get a clear view of her table. But that also meant that Cristina got a clear view of his table.

Across the restaurant, their eyes met. He nodded at her and smiled. Cristina did not smile back. In fact, he thought, she looked displeased.

Cristina was indeed perturbed. "What the hell is he doing here with that skank, Amanda?" she thought. She had heard that Amanda usually threw herself at all of the handsome professors.

Cristina felt most upset. Her face started to feel flushed. She realized that she was jealous.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please don't forget to leave a review. They are much appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7 Jealousy

It was a sunny Monday morning, though there was a slight chill in the air. Owen was glad to get into his office. He carried the two cups of coffee and laid them on his desk. One cup was for himself and the other was for Cristina. She usually would stop by every morning and they would have coffee and muffins together. She would bring the muffins and he would provide the coffee.

She usually was there by 8 a.m. but there was no sign of her as yet. By 8.30 a.m., she still had not arrived. He already drank his cup of coffee and he was pretty sure her coffee was cold. By 8.55 p.m., he headed out of his office to go teach his nine o'clock class. He wondered where she was. He didn't see her at all that day.

Tuesday morning, the routine was the same as it always was. He brought in two cups of coffee and waited for her. By 8.55 a.m., he threw away her cold cup of coffee and headed to class. He again did not see her at all that day.

By Wednesday morning, he was getting worried. She again did not turn up and he had to throw away her coffee for the third time. The last time he saw Cristina was last Friday night at the restaurant, where they were both on dates. Cristina had seemed peeved on her date.

He decided to send her a text. "Haven't seen you in a couple of days. Are you ill? Call or text me. I'm worried." Throughout the day, he checked his phone, hoping for a reply. There were lots of calls and text messages from other people, but nothing from Cristina. For the third day in a row, he did not see her.

On Thursday during lunchtime, he finally caught sight of her in the cafeteria with her friend, Meredith. He was so happy to see her, as this was the first time he had seen her for the week. He waved and smiled at her. She turned her head and ignored him.

"What just happened there?" Sloan asked. "Did your little grad student just ignore you?"

"I don't know what's going on with her," Owen said, as he settled down to eat. "I am not sure but she seems to be mad at me. I usually see her every day and this is the first day I have seen her for the week. And she has the audacity to ignore me."

"Well, you better fix that soon. You can't have your little grad student treating you like this. You have to demand respect," Sloan said.

"Well, we have our weekly meeting, tomorrow evening. She can't ignore me, then," Owen said.

Their progress meeting was usually held on Friday at 3 p.m. He checked his watch; she was already 15 minutes late. This was very unlike Cristina, who always arrived early or on time. She arrived at 3.18 p.m. and sat down in her chair, without saying anything.

He looked at her, "You are late, Cristina. I don't have time to waste, waiting on you."

"So what?" she said, without even looking up from her papers.

"Excuse me. 'So what' is your response? I set aside two hours every Friday afternoon to meet with you. If you haven't figured it out as yet, my time is valuable and I don't expect it to be wasted," he said.

He continued, "For some reason, which I don't understand, you seem to be angry at me. I have not seen you for most of the week. I bought coffee for you every day and you did not show up. I sent you a text on Wednesday and I got no reply. I see you yesterday in the cafeteria, I wave at you and you totally ignore me. You show up to our meeting late and you tell me 'so what?' You don't have to be my friend but I am your advisor and I do expect a certain amount of respect from you."

He could see her pouting but she finally said, "I apologize, Dr. Hunt, for my tardiness."

"Is something bothering you, Cristina?" he asked.

She looked up at him, "No."

"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded.

"Okay, then, let's get started," he said.

It was a very strange session, Owen had to admit. Cristina answered all of his questions but she spoke to him in a cold, very polite manner. There was no warmth or laughter in her voice, which was her usual tone for him.

Why was she so upset? He thought that she looked unhappy at the restaurant on Friday, but he figured she probably had a disagreement with Mr. Pretty Eyes, Jackson. He wondered, "Was she angry because I was out on a date with Amanda? But why should she be? She was also out on a date and that didn't make me feel too good, either. Could it be that she was jealous? That could explain her behavior this week."

He decided that he was going to test his theory. As the end of their session neared, he said, "Can we wrap this up, quickly? I need to leave soon. I have a date I have to get ready for." The truth was he had no date but he just wanted to see her reaction.

"Certainly," she said, in an icy tone. "I will just get my things and leave now. I don't want to keep you from your date." She quickly packed up her belongings.

"Good night, sir," she said. She opened the door, stepped out of his office and slammed the door. She had slammed the door so hard that one of his diplomas fell off from the wall and crashed to the ground. As he picked it up, he had to laugh. She really was jealous. "Good," he thought. "Let her get a taste of what I have been feeling."

He watched from his window as she got on her bicycle. He smiled as he watched her furiously pedal away from the school. His little experiment had proved that she really had feelings for him.

* * *

><p>When Cristina arrived home, she was angry and upset at the same time. She slammed the front door, and then slammed her bedroom door, as she stormed inside. Meredith, who was watching television, realized something was wrong with her friend. She found Cristina crying pitifully in her bed. She got into bed with her and hugged her friend.<p>

"What's wrong, Cristina? Did somebody hurt you?" Meredith asked.

"He's dating that skank, Amanda," she said, between sobs.

"Who? Preston?" Meredith asked.

"Nooooooooooooo! Owen! He's dating that skank, Amanda!" she shrieked.

"Amanda from Webber's office?" Meredith asked.

"Yessss!" she said.

"Why are you so upset?" Meredith asked. "You told him that you didn't want to be in a relationship with him. Unless you want to be."

"I don't know. It is so hard to see him date. I…I…think I am jealous," Cristina was ashamed to admit.

"So let me get this straight. You're jealous that he's dating. But you're dating, too. How do you think that makes him feel? He's the one who wanted the relationship but you turned him down. He's a man, you can't expect him to become a monk and wait for you to make up your mind. He has physical needs," Meredith said.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? That he could be slipping the sausage to that skank, Amanda?" she sobbed.

"Well, if he's dating, it's your fault," Meredith said. "If you want to be with him, you know what you have to do. You have to tell him that you want to be with him and you have to change advisors. There is no getting around that. Also, you will probably have to make full disclosure to Dr. Webber if you enter a relationship."

"But what if it is too late? Suppose Amanda has trapped him in her web already?" Cristina wept.

"Amanda has got nothing on you. You're young and hot. Besides, he wanted to be with you. That should count for something," Meredith said, encouragingly. "What you need to do is tell him how you feel."

"Okay, then. I will tell him on Monday. I haven't been to our coffee and muffin mornings for the past week. I don't know if he will even expect me, anymore," she said.

"Well, just text him to bring the coffee," Meredith said. "He'll know that you're coming."

Cristina nodded, as she wiped away her tears.

On Sunday night, she sent him a text. "Bringing apple cinnamon and blueberry muffins tomorrow. Don't forget the coffee."

He read the text and smiled and sent back a message. "Okay, will see you then."

* * *

><p>On Monday morning, Owen headed to his office with lightness in his heart. He felt that this could be the morning where she would finally reveal her true feelings. That maybe, they could finally make a step forward and start a real relationship.<p>

She knocked on his door, "Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, Cristina. I was rather surprised when I got your text yesterday. I thought you had abandoned our coffee and muffin mornings, seeing that you didn't turn up a single day last week," he said.

"Sorry about that. In fact, I want to apologize for my behavior last week. It was totally unacceptable. I blew off our coffee and muffin mornings without an explanation, I didn't return your text and I ignored you in the cafeteria. Plus I behaved really badly in our meeting, coming late and then, slamming the door. Please accept my apologies, sir," she said, staring at the ground.

"Your apology has been accepted, Cristina. Is that all you wish to tell me?" he asked, very hopeful.

"I might have something to say a little later," she said, since she was still composing in her head what she actually wanted to tell him.

"Okay," he said, a little disappointed.

He pushed across her French vanilla coffee towards her and she gave him a blueberry muffin.

He bit into the muffin. "Ah, this is nice. I really missed you last week."

If she wasn't going to take the initiative, he was going to do so. He couldn't take it anymore. "So is there a reason why you were so mad at me last week?" he asked.

"Um…" Cristina muttered.

"Little lost for words, are we? Okay, I'll start. Does it have anything to do with the fact that you saw me with Amanda at the restaurant?" he said.

She nodded.

"Were you jealous?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Don't feel bad to admit it. I was jealous, too. When I saw you with your handsome, green-eyed friend, I was upset, too. I couldn't understand why you were with him and not with me," he said.

"The thing is, Cristina, since we both admit that we're jealous and we hate seeing each other with other people, what are we going to do about it?" he continued.

Cristina finally found her voice, "I just want to be with you."

"Finally, you admit it. You have feelings for me. If you had admitted this, when we first saw each other again, we wouldn't have wasted the last five weeks being apart. I want to be with you, too," he said.

"I would have to change advisors," she said.

"Yes, I know that. I will probably have to inform Professor Webber why you must change advisors," he said. "So we're agreed we're going to try this. We're going to try a relationship."

"Yes," she said.

"Come sit on my lap," he said. She came around to his side of the desk. He wiped a crumb away from the side of her mouth, as he showered gentle kisses on her mouth. "Been wanting to do that forever," he said, as he deepened his kiss.

After they broke off the kiss, she nestled into his chest. "Can I ask you something, Owen, about Amanda?"

"Okay, anything," he replied.

"Did you slip her the sausage?" she asked.

"What? Is that your way of asking me whether I slept with her?" Owen said. "The answer to that question is no. I only had that one date with her at the restaurant. I took her home and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek."

"So you didn't have a date last week Friday?" she asked.

"No. I was just testing you to see your reaction and you reacted the way I hoped you would," he said, laughing.

"I have been had," Cristina said.

"Well, I want to ask you the same question. Did you sleep with Pretty Green Eyes?" he asked.

"No. We hadn't reached that far as yet," she said.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"We made out on my couch when he took me home after our date," she said.

He gave her a disapproving look. "Oh, come on. I was upset about seeing you with Amanda. I needed comforting," she defended herself.

"Hmmm," he said. "No more making out with other guys for you."

"Okay," she said, as she snuggled closer to him.

"And another thing, too. You have to stop calling me 'sir.'"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please don't forget to leave your reviews. They are appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8 Facing the fire

Owen knocked on Professor Sloan's door.

"Come in," Sloan bellowed. As Owen opened the door, Sloan said, "Ah, Hunt, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I need a favor, Sloan. I would like to exchange my grad student for one of yours," Owen said.

"But why? I hear that Yang is the brightest kid on the block. Is she still dissing you? Is that why you want to get rid of her?" Sloan asked.

"You will find that Cristina is a very insightful and brilliant student, Sloan. So that is not the reason that I am giving her up," Owen said.

"Then why?" Sloan said.

"There are other reasons why I am not going to be able to continue working with Cristina," Owen said.

This statement was met by loud laughter from Sloan.

"You sly dog! You've fallen for your grad student! That's the only reason you would give up being her advisor. You want to start a relationship with her," Sloan cackled, as he slapped Owen on the back.

"I am not admitting anything. Would you be able to help me?" Owen asked, sheepishly.

"Since I am such a romantic and a softie at heart, I am going to help you. I have three grad students. Do you want Avery?" Sloan asked.

"No! Definitely not Avery!" Owen said. There was no way he was going to be able to be Avery's advisor. He would not be able to look at that handsome boy's face, without picturing him making out with Cristina.

Sloan was surprised at Owen's reaction. "What about Kepner? She is afraid of me. I am sure she would be willing to change advisors. I also have Karev. That kid is a hard-ass and he hates me, so I think he would be willing to change advisors, too."

Sloan continued, "In fact, what if you take both Kepner and Karev? And I will take your little girlfriend."

Owen answered, "If they are okay with it, I am fine with it."

Sloan said, "This is working out to my advantage. I will call them now." He called both Kepner and Karev, who readily agreed to change.

"Sloan, I just want to make sure that Cristina is not going to get short-changed in any way and you're going to be the best advisor for her," Owen said.

"Don't worry, Hunt. I will do my very best for your little girlfriend. You do know you do have to go to Professor Webber and make a full disclosure. You don't want what happened to Derek Shepherd from the Marketing department when he tried to keep his relationship with Meredith Grey a secret. Guy was raked over the coals for it," he said.

"Derek and Meredith?" Owen thought. "Wasn't Cristina's best friend called Meredith and didn't she have a boyfriend named Derek?" He now understood why Cristina had been wary of starting a relationship with him.

"Thank you, Sloan. This is much appreciated," he said.

"My pleasure, Hunt. Some day, I hope you can return the favor," Sloan smirked.

* * *

><p>Owen's next stop was Professor Webber's office. He wasn't looking forward to it, not only because he had to talk to Webber, but he also had to face Amanda. Since their date, he felt that Amanda had been expecting him to ask her out on a second date. If he was honest with himself, he had to admit that it had been a perfectly fine date.<p>

He felt bad because he knew the only reason he had asked her out in the first place was to make himself feel better, after seeing Cristina go out with Avery. In the 10 days since the date, he was polite to her but he knew she was disappointed that he had not asked her out again.

He stepped into the office. "Good morning, Amanda. I am here for my appointment with Dr. Webber."

"Good morning. Owen. Good to see you. I haven't seen you in a while," Amanda said, with a beaming smile. "Dr. Webber is on a phone call right now. As soon as he is off the phone, I will let him know you are here."

"Thank you, Amanda," Owen said, as he took a seat on the couch.

Amanda looked at the gorgeous professor. Why had he not asked her for a second date? As far as she could tell, their date went well. He did give her that chaste kiss on her cheek but she thought that he was just being a gentleman. She still had hope that maybe, he would ask her out again.

She was deep in her thoughts when the curly-haired girl showed up. "Good morning, ma'am," the girl said.

"Yes, can I help you?" Amanda said.

"I just want to say something to Dr. Hunt," she said, as she made her way to where Owen was sitting.

Cristina took a seat next to Owen. He reached over and took her hand in his, intertwining his fingers with hers. Amanda was taken aback. From his actions, she knew exactly why Dr. Hunt needed to see Dr. Webber. Dr. Hunt had fallen for his student.

Amanda thought, "What was wrong with these professors? Why can't they see a mature, attractive woman right in front of them and yet they keep falling for these moppets in jeans and sneakers?" Amanda was bitter.

Cristina whispered to Owen, "Do you need me to come in with you?"

"That's nice of you but I think I have to face this for myself," he said.

Amanda said, "Dr. Webber is off the phone now. You can go in, Owen."

As Owen went into Webber's office, Cristina started feeling uncomfortable, sitting in the outer office by herself. She could feel Amanda's eyes boring into her, making her feel like if she was under the microscope. She got up, briefly nodded to Amanda and escaped out of the office.

Owen shook Dr. Webber's hand and took a seat.

"So what's up, Hunt? Why do we need this emergency appointment?" Webber asked, scrutinizing Owen's face.

"I just wanted to inform you that I will be giving up Miss Yang as my graduate student and I will be taking on Miss Kepner and Mr. Karev as my graduate students. Dr. Sloan and I have already discussed it and the students have all agreed to the exchange," Owen said.

"Why do you want to give up Yang? Are you all not getting along? Is she giving you trouble? I have never seen the girl give any trouble before. In fact, she may be the brightest PhD student that we have in this department. So what's wrong, Hunt?" Webber asked, concerned.

"Sir," Owen started, clearing his throat. "The truth is that Miss Yang and I have feelings for one another and we would like to start a relationship."

"Good God, man. You too? At least you're telling me about it and making a full disclosure. Not like Shepherd in Marketing, who tried to hide it. That blew up in his face," Webber said, shaking his head.

"In my defense, sir, Miss Yang and I were involved with each other before I started teaching here. When we met again here, we tried not to get involved with each other but it has proven to be very difficult," Owen said. "Emotions do not just go away."

"Before I get slapped with any kind of sexual harassment suit here, I need to ask a personal question. I am not digging into your business. I just need to protect the school. Since you've been her advisor, have you and Yang indulged in any sexual relations?" Webber asked.

"I can assure you that since I became a member of the faculty, we have not done so. However, we do want to pursue a relationship and therefore, this is why I am making the moves to ensure that there will be no conflict of interest. Dr. Sloan has agreed to take her as his grad student," Owen said.

"Well, okay then. You do realize that she will not be able to take any of your courses. You are giving up the best student," Webber said.

Owen replied, "I am aware of that, sir. But I want her more in my life than just my student."

Webber answered, "Well, I hope things work out for the two of you. I commend that you were able to come to me with this. It just shows how much this girl means to you."

Owen answered, "She's worth it to me. Thank you, sir." He got up and shook Dr. Webber's hand again.

As he left Webber's office, he nodded to Amanda, who gave him a hostile stare. He certainly burned his bridges there, he thought. Cristina was nowhere in sight. He wondered where she had gone.

He felt amazingly free. He could pursue a relationship with Cristina, without recrimination. He headed back to his office, and sent her a text. "Spoke to Webber, everything is good. We can be together, now. Come see me after your classes."

Cristina received the text and smiled. She sent him back a text. "Okay, sir :)"

He laughed that she had written "sir."

* * *

><p>Late in the evening, he heard Cristina's signature knock of two knocks, followed by three in rapid succession.<p>

"Where have you been all day?" he asked.

"Helping my undergrads deal with some coursework issues. They seemed to be very confused. I kept wondering if I was that dumb when I was their age," she said.

"Oh, please. You're not that much older than they are," Owen said. "And why are you sitting on the other side of this desk. I just want to hold you."

She gave him a mock sigh, as she slowly made her way around the desk and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and claimed her lips with his own.

"So, can I call you my boyfriend, now?" she asked.

"Yes, I am your boyfriend and you are my girlfriend. And you can tell everyone that. I am so glad that we finally can say that," he said. "Come home with me, tonight."

"I can't. I rode my bike to school this morning. I can't leave it here. Someone will steal it," she said.

"Don't worry about that. I put up a bike rack on my SUV over the weekend. I put it up just for your bike," he told her.

"So you were really expecting things to turn out in your favor, it seems," she said.

"I was being optimistic. I knew how I felt about you and I was hoping that you would finally admit that you cared about me," he said. "Was that so wrong?"

"No, I guess not," she said. "Can we stop off at my apartment so I can grab some fresh clothes?"

"Yes, we can," he said. "Let's get out of here."

He packed up his briefcase, switched off his office lights and closed his door. He put out his hand for her to hold. "Everyone will now know that we're together."

She took his hand and looked up at him and smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't forget to leave a review. It is always appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9 Surprising visitor

As he opened the door to his townhouse, they both dropped their bags on to the floor and started fiercely kissing each other. He had her against the wall and their mouths were crushed against each other's. He picked her up and she curled her legs around his body.

"Couch or bed?" he asked.

"Couch is closer but bed more comfy," she replied.

"Hold on tight," he said, as he carried her up the stairs, while they both continued to explore each other's mouths and tongues.

He gently deposited her on his soft Egyptian cotton sheets. "Ooh," she said. "I can always appreciate a man who values a high thread-count." He laughed. "If that is what keeps you happy, Egyptian cotton sheets for life."

Hurriedly, they stripped off each other's clothes. She whispered, "I haven't had sex in five weeks. I seriously need you now."

He whispered back, "Coincidentally, I haven't had sex in five weeks, either. I need you now, too."

He rubbed his already hardened member against her clit as he felt the wetness inside of her with his fingers. "Seems that neither of us can wait much longer. Should I fuck you like I own you?" using the words that she had used when they first had sex.

She giggled. "When I said that, I really didn't think I would ever see you again after that weekend. But you know, the sentiment remains the same."

"Turn over," he commanded.

"What?" she said.

"Remember I own you. You have to do what I say. I want to take you from behind. Hold on to the headboard, baby," he said, kissing her shoulder.

"Ooh, I forgot that you own me," she laughed, as she did as she was told. "Is it a good view?"

"Fabulous view, I must say," he said, as he reached under her to massage her nipples.

He positioned himself to enter her and his first thrust into her caused her to emit a very loud gasp. She hadn't realized how much she had missed his body until he had plunged himself so deeply into her. He involuntarily groaned, too as he felt her very wet walls encircle his cock; it was an unimaginably sweet sensation.

He held on to her hips, pulling her body back hard on to his cock. He loved the angle of their almost upright position, as she held tightly on to the headboard to steady herself.

Her body jerked back to meet his, as he pushed into her, almost with savage intent. He kissed and licked every inch of her back and shoulders, as he continued to caress her breasts and stomach. He bit down into her neck as their bodies moved faster and harder together, her butt slapping against his body.

He reached down and rubbed at her clit, feeling it become even more swollen underneath his touch. He gently pulled back her head so he could kiss her, as he thrust ever deeper into her. She could feel his sweat rolling down his chest, as it dripped on to her back.

Her moans were getting progressively louder, as he could feel her walls contracting around him. He didn't slow down to ensure that she would come before him. She screamed as she came, while he groaned as he released into her.

As he gently set her down on to the bed, he rolled off her as they both tried to catch their breaths.

"Thank you," she said. "I needed that."

"I should be thanking you," he said. "Five weeks without you were not easy, especially since you were sitting on the other side of my desk. Some days, all I felt, was just picking you up and throwing you across my desk and taking you then and there. It was so hard to fight that feeling. "

"Well, maybe if you did, we would have got together a little bit sooner," she said. "It would have reminded me of what I was missing."

"Now you tell me," he said, shaking his head.

"I suddenly feel very hungry," she declared.

"I'll order something," he said. "Is pizza good for you?"

"Yup, I am going to take a shower," she said, as she got up and ran downstairs for her overnight bag. She came back up and immediately started digging into it for her pjs.

"Oh, by the way, check my top drawer, there is something that belongs to you," he said.

She gave him a strange look, as she opened the drawer. "Ha," she said, "my underwear that I lost at Tulley's."

"Well, you didn't actually lose it," he said. "I was sleeping on top of it. I kept it because it was the last thing I had that belonged to you. It's freshly laundered so you can wear it if you wish."

"Thanks, Owen. It has always been one of my favorites," she said, as she took out the yellow underwear from the drawer. She disappeared into the bathroom.

He ordered their pizza and relaxed back into the bed, waiting for her to finish take her shower. He contemplated how strange life could be, given that five weeks ago, he met a girl whom he thought he would never see again and here he was now, in a relationship with that same girl. He had never before believed in fate and destiny but maybe there was something to it.

She emerged from his bathroom, her hair damp and her body all cozily wrapped in a towel. "Time for you to go get clean," she said, as she smacked him on the butt as he passed her. He laughed.

She changed into her pajamas and awaited the arrival of the pizza delivery guy.

* * *

><p>Thirty-four-year-old Jen Sanders really didn't like driving at night but after a day of business, she decided it would be nice to visit her ex-boyfriend, Owen. She had been in San Francisco, visiting the western branch of her company's office. Since she was only 30 miles from Palo Alto, she thought she would pay Owen a visit, as she had not seen him in three months, since he had moved out of their apartment in New York.<p>

She could admit to herself that she missed having Owen in her life. He was fun, kind and very good-looking. All of the women in her office felt that she was crazy when she decided not to go with him to California, especially since they had been together for three years. When they met, she was instantly attracted to him, even though he was two years younger. They moved in together after the first year of dating and they had lived a very normal couple life in New York. The only thing they never talked about was marriage.

Jen had always thought that someday, they would have got married and possibly have kids. Then, Owen's mother got sick and she needed him to be back in California. He had asked her if she wanted to move with him but she felt she couldn't leave her job, given that she had just received a promotion and things were going well for her. Owen, having already made a fortune on Wall Street, did not really need to keep his corporate job since he was already set for life. She knew he had always wanted to get back to the academic life and this was his opportunity to do so.

In the three months they had been apart, she had often wondered whether she had made a mistake in not going to California with him. She could have transferred out to the company's west coast office. She would have probably not have been able to get the same job she had at the New York office but at least, she would have still had Owen.

They had separated, amicably. There was not much acrimony, as Owen did not really want anything from their New York apartment, saying there was nothing there that he could not buy again. He left with only his personal belongings and his vehicle. What he did leave was an empty space in her heart.

They had kept in touch with an occasional phone call or email to each other. He always said if she ever was in the San Francisco area, she could come by to visit. So, she was taking him up on his invitation.

She looked at the bottle of white wine sitting on the back seat of her rented car. She had bought it that morning and had kept it chilled in the office refrigerator, ready for this moment. She wondered if the sparks between her and Owen were still there.

As she drove to the gates of the compound, she told the security guard that she was going to Townhouse #36. He let her in, after calling to find out if they were expecting someone.

It was Cristina who took the call. She really was expecting someone – the pizza delivery guy – so she had answered in the affirmative to the guard's question.

Jen drove to the visitor's parking and checked her hair and make-up before walking to Townhouse #36. Her heart was pounding. She recognized Owen's SUV. It was the same one he had in New York and she noted there was a bike on it. Apparently, he had taken up cycling, while in California.

Jen rang the doorbell. Then she heard the voice; it sounded youthful and female. "Pizza delivery guy is here. Where's your wallet?" the voice said. "Okay, I got it."

Cristina opened the door to find a tall, cool brunette standing there. Jen was wondering whether she had the right townhouse.

"Oh, you're not the pizza delivery guy," the small, curly-haired girl said. Jen noted that she was dressed in pjs, barefoot and had a hickey on her neck. The girl looked young.

"No, I am not," Jen said. "I am not sure if I have the right townhouse. Is there an Owen Hunt here?"

"Yes, you have the right townhouse," the girl said. "Owen is in the shower right now. Would you like to come in?"

Cristina noted the woman had a bottle of wine in her hand. "Can I have your name, so I will let him know that you are here?"

"I am Jen," the brunette said.

"Have a seat," Cristina said. "I'll let him know."

Cristina ran up the stairs to Owen's bedroom. Jen wondered if Owen was allowing a student to stay at his place.

Owen was already in the bedroom, changing into his pajama pants and pulling on a t-shirt, when Cristina burst into the bedroom. "There is someone downstairs to see you. She said her name was Jen."

She looked at his face to see his reaction. He was definitely surprised.

She asked, "Who is Jen?"

He replied, "Jen is my ex-girlfriend from New York. She must be in town and came by for a visit, I guess."

"She came with a bottle of wine," Cristina said.

"Oh," he said. "Are you going to come back down?"

"No," she answered. "I think you two have a lot to talk about. You need to talk to her by yourself because she may be disappointed."

"Are you sure you'll be okay? You can ask me anything when she leaves," he said.

"Yeah, I will be okay. Just going to watch some TV and wait for the pizza. It should be here soon, so can you bring it up when it arrives?" she said. He nodded.

Owen went down the stairs, with some slight trepidation.

"Hey, Jen," he said, as he went to kiss her on the cheek. "It's good to see you."

Jen needed to ask, "So, who is your little friend?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please don't forget to leave your reviews. They are often the encouragement for me to continue these stories. Thank you.**


	10. Chapter 10 Exes

**A/N: After much gnashing of teeth and loss of my writing mojo this week, I have finally updated one of my stories. I tried my best.**

* * *

><p>"So who is your little friend?" Jen repeated.<p>

"Her name is Cristina and she is not my little friend. She is my girlfriend," Owen said, aware that his words were going to hurt.

Jen looked and felt devastated. Here she was, hoping to rekindle some sort of sparks with her ex, only to find out that he had already moved on. They had only been broken up three months, she thought, and he had already found someone else. Why was that always the case with men, she thought, they always found it so easy to move on.

"Is she your student?" she asked.

"Yes, she is a student but she isn't my student," he said. "She's doing her PhD at the business school."

"How long have you been together?" Jen needed to know.

"Technically, today is our first day, officially as a couple. But we've known each other for five weeks," he said. He wanted to be truthful to Jen. He owed her that much, given their three-year relationship.

Five weeks, Jen thought, five freaking weeks and already officially a couple. She wanted to scream.

"How old is she?" Jen asked.

"She is 24," he said. Inwardly, Jen gasped. He had moved on with a woman who was 10 years younger than her. This was adding insult to injury.

Jen had to sit down. She looked at him, with misty eyes. "How are you able to move on so quickly? We've only been broken up three months."

Owen was unsure on how to answer but he knew anything he would say would not make her feel any better. "It's not like I expected something to happen so soon. It just happened, Jen. I met her five weeks ago at a bed and breakfast inn, where my parents used to take me when I was a child. It wasn't like I was looking for someone. We met and we hit it off but we thought we were never going to see each other again after that weekend.

"We met each other again at the school. Maybe it was fate that we met again. And we decided to get back together again and try a relationship," he said.

"I know how you must feel," he said. "But we are no longer together. I did ask you if you wanted to move to California with me but you said that you were a New York girl. I accepted your decision and we had to get on with our lives."

"Three years, Owen!" she said, her voice breaking. "We were together for three years! I was coming here to tell you that I think I was wrong. I was wrong about breaking up with you. I was wrong about staying in New York. I was wrong about not coming to California with you. And now you tell me that it is too late!"

At that moment, they were interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Owen answered, "Hello. Send him. Thank you." He was actually grateful for the interruption; it was getting a little intense with Jen spilling all of her feelings.

He turned to Jen, "Pizza delivery guy is here. Let me just get my wallet." He found the wallet on the coffee table where Cristina had left it earlier. Jen noted that the leather wallet was a present she had given him two Christmases ago. At least he still had the wallet and had not swept everything associated with her out of his life. She took some small measure of comfort with that.

He opened the front door and waited for the delivery. Soon enough, there was a pizza in his hand. He turned to Jen, "She's hungry and I am just going to give this to her. Just hold on." Jen nodded, reluctantly acknowledging the presence of the girl upstairs.

He ran up the stairs to his bedroom to find Cristina on the floor, watching television. She looked incredibly small, as he caught her, rolling on the carpet.

"Hey," she said, looking up. "Great, the pizza is here. I am starving." She got up and grabbed the pizza out of his hand. "So how is it going?"

He shook his head. "Not easy. I was so relieved when the pizza guy came to break up the tension in the room."

"I'm sorry," she said. "Maybe if I wasn't here. It would go easier for you."

"Are you kidding me? I want you here," he said, as he grabbed her close. "I want to kiss you but your mouth is full of pizza."

"Oops, sorry," as she swallowed the little bit of pizza she had in her mouth. She offered him her mouth to kiss and he covered her mouth with his own.

"Thanks for the emotional support," he said. "Heading back downstairs to listen to her possibly call me names."

"You can come up after she leaves and I will rub your head," she said.

"Which head are you going to rub?" he grinned, wickedly.

"Whichever head that needs to be rubbed," she answered. She guffawed.

He found himself smiling as he descended the stairs. As soon he caught sight of Jen on the sofa, he wiped the smile off his face.

"Sorry about that, Jen," he said. "She was hungry. So what were we discussing?"

Jen sighed, "I was just pouring my heart out to you about what I wish I had done differently about the end of our relationship. I want to take back all what I did and said. I still love you, Owen."

Those were the words that Owen had not wanted to hear. He cared about Jen, he really did. It was not really possible to share three years with someone and not have some sort of feeling for them. He was still fond of her but he just didn't love her that way, again.

The first two years of their relationship were fine as most relationships go, but within the last year, he had found himself not feeling as enamored as he once was. They had drifted apart, even though they lived in the same apartment. Both their careers were soaring, so they both buried themselves in work, rather than each other. They just didn't work at the relationship. as they should have, he felt.

When Jen had decided that she was not going to go to California with him, he was relieved. He knew their relationship had run its course. He knew he was not passionate about Jen or their relationship, anymore. He had been glad that it was an amicable break-up. He saw the move to California as a chance to start afresh.

As he thought about it, he realized that Cristina was also part of this new start. He was lucky he had met her. She made him feel alive and hopeful about his future. He had never felt that way about Jen. Maybe that's why he had never brought up marriage. He wished he had seen it earlier and ended his relationship with Jen because he never saw his future with her. He wished he had handled that differently.

Now, here Jen was, saying that she still loved him. He didn't want to hurt her but he knew that he was going to do so.

"Is there still hope for us, Owen?" Jen pleaded. "Can we maybe try again?"

Owen gave her a doubtful look.

She continued, "I know that there is a girl upstairs but you can't be serious about this. She's 24 years old. Maybe she thinks it is going to be fun, now, dating a professor but she'll probably get tired of you and move on to somebody else. She's young; she may find someone else that catches her fancy and drop you like a hot potato. You're probably just her flavor of the month. Girls that age are fickle. I know I was when I was that age."

Owen could not believe his ears. He had been prepared to let down Jen easy but now she was dissing Cristina but also his relationship with her.

"I don't want you talking about Cristina that way," he said, firmly. "Especially what she feels about me. You don't know her, so you don't get the right to make assumptions about her."

Jen looked at Owen's face and she could see that he was getting annoyed. She had underestimated his depth of feeling for the girl. She had hoped that this was just a dalliance, a little fling that he could get over and maybe they could re-kindle their relationship. But it seemed that she was wrong.

"Owen, I am sorry if I have offended you," she said quickly. "I was just hopeful that maybe there was still a chance for us."

He shook his head. "Jen, I am very sorry because what I am going to say is probably going to hurt you. Our relationship had already run its course. We didn't feel for each other at the end what we had felt at the start. Why do you think it was so easy for you to decide to stay in New York? Be honest with yourself; we both knew it.

"I am pretty sure that you think you love me. But I believe that you miss my presence in your life, even more. It's hard to be alone, to move on, especially after a three-year relationship. I don't regret ever being with you but we just didn't fit together anymore. And that was the case, even before we officially decided to end it. We just didn't communicate anymore in that last year because we just didn't try, Jen.

"You're here now because you're just trying to hold on to the familiar because it is comforting. But even if we got back together, it just isn't going to work. I have found someone else. She makes me happy," he ended.

He looked at her with tears streaming down her face. He hadn't really wanted to say all of that but he knew it had to be said. It was the truth that needed to be told. Jen was crying because she knew it was truly the end. There was no falling back into a familiar place, as she had hoped.

He went to her and hugged her. He knew his words hurt and she needed to be comforted. She held on to him and cried. What Owen didn't know was they had an audience of one. Cristina had been silently creeping down the stairs because she didn't want to disturb them. She had wanted to get a drink of water but she stayed frozen on the staircase. She watched Owen comfort Jen. Cristina felt sorry for the other woman. She quietly walked back up the stairs.

Owen held Jen until she stopped crying.

"Are you okay, now?" he asked, anxiously. She nodded. She had finally accepted the truth. It still hurt but she knew she had to move on.

"Are you going to drive back to San Francisco?" he asked.

"No, I think I will just stay the night in a hotel and drive back in the morning. I am just a little bit emotionally distraught right now to drive," she said.

"I will book you a room at the closest hotel," he said, picking up the yellow pages. She listened as he made the reservations. He was always the type of man, who did his best to take care of her needs, as he was doing now. That was one of the things she had loved about him.

"Thank you," she said. As he showed her to the door, he kissed her on the cheek. "Take care of yourself, Jen," he said.

"You, too, Owen. I really hope she makes you happy," she said.

"She does, Jen," he said. With that, they bade each other goodbye.

Owen ran up the stairs to his bedroom. Cristina was already snug under the sheets. He smiled. She had left the pizza box on the floor and the television on. He picked up the box, switched off the television and went back down to the kitchen. He grabbed a couple of slices and thought about the evening. He had never envisioned his first night back with Cristina would have been so eventful. He sincerely wished Jen could move on and find someone who would make her happy, as Cristina did for him.

He discarded the pizza box, ran back up the stairs, brushed his teeth and snuggled next to Cristina.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Do you need your head rubbed?" she asked.

"No," he laughed. "Being here with you is all I need."

She curled her body in towards him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Cristina, this is real, right? This is a real relationship, not a fling for you. You're not just dating a professor for fun?" he asked.

"No. I want to be with you. You're a good guy, Owen Hunt," she said, as she gave him a tender kiss on the lips.

He held her tightly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: If you like my stories, I would appreciate that you leave a review. It helps me with the thinking process.**


	11. Chapter 11 Party hijinks

He was somewhat absorbed in reading the notices on the student bulletin board, so he was a little bit startled by the feel of the small hand on his butt. He smiled; he knew exactly who it was.

"Do you know this is sexual harassment?" Owen said.

"Really? I thought this was sexual harassment," Cristina said as she gave his butt a little grope.

"Well, that is definitely sexual harassment. I will have to report you to the Dean," he said, laughing.

"Do what you have to do," she said, giving him another squeeze.

"You are so wicked, it is unbelievable," he said.

"Ooh, Wicked is my middle name," she laughed.

"What are you up to, today?" he asked.

"Same usual stuff – dealing with undergrads, classes, research. Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be coming to your house tonight," she said.

"Why? Come on, it's Friday night. We always spend Friday night together," he said.

"I am going to a party. We're going as a group. Meredith, Jackson, April and me – we're going to a party at Alex's house. You're not invited because it is a students-only shindig," she said.

"So I'm banned from the party because I am old," he said.

"No, not because you're old. It's because you're a faculty member. Us students want to have a good time without having faculty members staring and judging us for our misdeeds," she said.

"Don't you have too good a time," he said. "Maybe you can come over to my place after the party?"

"I guess I can do that. I can get Jackson to drop me off," she said.

"Jackson? Humph," he said.

"Don't judge him. He is a friend," she said.

"Well, I hope so for his sake," he said.

"Anyway, gotta go," she said. "My undergrads are calling my name." She gave him a brief kiss on the lips. He watched her skip away down the corridor.

He saw little of Cristina that day, since he had lots of classes to teach and she was equally busy. He missed her but he consoled himself with the fact that she would come by after her party that night.

Friday night without Cristina at his townhouse seemed really strange. Her loud laughter usually echoed through his normally quiet townhouse. He liked it because it made the place seem more alive.

He settled on having dinner and watching some television to pass the time until Cristina showed up.

* * *

><p>Far from the solitude of Owen's townhouse was the raucous rocking party at an off-campus house rented by Alex and a couple of his male friends. Jackson had driven the girls to the party. The party was already in full swing by the time they arrived.<p>

"You guys want anything to drink?" he asked, looking for the bar.

"A beer will be fine," Cristina said.

Meredith wondered aloud, "I wonder if they have tequila."

"They should," April said. "Yeah, Jackson, I want a beer, too."

"Beers coming right up," Jackson said as he disappeared into the crowd.

Alex came up, "Hey ladies, glad you girls could make it. Didn't want this party to turn into a sausage-fest. We need more girls here. There are like 40 guys here already and only about 25 girls. You all are three more. Guys probably came here, hoping to score a hot chick. Thanks for adding to the hot chick quotient."

"Thanks for that compliment, I guess," Meredith said. "You got any tequila?"

"Naturally," Alex said. "Follow me, I will show you the good stuff." They followed Alex to the bar, where they found Jackson, ordering beers. Alex reached under the bar for the bottle of tequila and handed it to Meredith.

"Whoohoo!" Meredith said. "My poison of choice."

"Have fun, guys," Alex said, as he made his way through the crowd.

"Take a swig, Cristina," Meredith said, as she broke the seal on the tequila bottle.

Cristina grabbed the bottle and took a huge mouthful. "Aargh!" she yelled, after she swallowed.

Meredith took back the bottle and took a huge drink. "The night is young, Cristina Yang, and we're getting loaded."

"I'm supposed to go to Owen's house after this," Cristina said. "I can't get wasted."

"Oh, come on," Meredith said. "Live a little. We're young. We're supposed to party. Don't worry about that fuddy-duddy Owen. Let's have a good time. Take another drink." Meredith pushed the bottle back into Cristina's hand. Cristina took another swig of the tequila.

"You know you're right. We worked hard all week. We've got no classes tomorrow. Let's really have a great time," Cristina said. As she said this, she was then dragged on to the dance floor by Jackson. He handed her a beer. She took a drink, even though she knew mixing alcohol was never a good idea.

The music was pounding and Cristina and Jackson started dancing wildly around. The room dissolved into a mass of gyrating bodies, moving in rhythm to the music. The rest of the night was a blur to Cristina, as it seemed to be a messed-up amalgamation of booze, dance and music. She did notice a flashing light throughout the party but she thought that was a strobe light. The flash was not of a strobe as Cristina had thought but the flash of a camera as someone was taking pictures of the party's participants.

That someone was one of Alex's roommates, who decided to upload the party pictures to his Facebook page and tagged all of the hot women in the party. Notably, Cristina, Meredith and April were tagged in a variety of pictures, some of which were not at all flattering.

It was difficult to tell which was the worst – the one where Meredith, April and Cristina were dancing on a table or the one where Cristina was riding on Jackson's shoulders or the one where she was sandwiched between Jackson and Alex, while grooving to the music or the one where she and Meredith were seen drinking tequila, straight from the bottle. Not that it mattered, Cristina remembered very little of it.

* * *

><p>Back at his townhouse, Owen was getting tired of waiting for Cristina. He looked at his watch. It was getting really late and he was feeling rather sleepy. He decided to give his email a final check and maybe catch up with his friends on Facebook.<p>

It was on FB that he got the shock of his life. Pictures of **his** girlfriend at the party showed up on his page. As he went through the pictures, he started to get even more peeved.

He called her immediately. There was no answer. He tried four more times and still, there was no answer. That was because Cristina had turned her phone to silent mode. He was getting seriously pissed.

He went to bed, feeling most annoyed. She was going to show up after the party and he was going to let her know what he really thought about her behavior. His sleep was restless; he tossed and turned as images of Cristina at the party dominated his thoughts. Soon enough, it was morning and there was no Cristina on her side of the bed. She didn't even show up after the party as she had promised. He was totally aggravated, now.

* * *

><p>Cristina opened her eyes and had to shield them from the sun. Where the heck was she? She looked to her left and there was Meredith and to her right was April. She looked around and it was clear they had never left the party. They were all passed out on the lawn of Alex's house. Shading her eyes from the sun, she caught sight of Jackson, sleeping in the back seat of his car.<p>

She shook her friends awake. "Hey, we've got to go home."

"Two more minutes, mom," Meredith said, as she turned over.

"Meredith, get up, you are not in your bed," Cristina said. April rubbed her eyes. "I have got the worst headache ever," April said.

"Me, too," Cristina said. "It's like there is a drummer in my head."

Meredith finally woke up and let out a loud groan. "What happened last night?" Meredith asked.

"How the heck do I know?" Cristina said. She looked at her phone. There were five missed calls from Owen. She vaguely remembered that she was supposed to go to Owen's house after the party. Clearly, she had failed to do so.

"Hey, Jackson," she called out to their erstwhile chauffeur. "Get up, take us home."

Jackson groaned and crawled out of his car. "Man, that was some blow-out last night," he said. He got up and got into the driver's seat. "Come on girls. Let's go home."

The three girls dragged their bodies to the car. It was going to be a horrible morning, Cristina knew.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, a still hung over Cristina was awakened by the sound of her phone ringing. It sounded like a loud alarm. "Ooh, my head," she said, as she buried her head into her pillow. Even her hair hurt.<p>

She knew that it was Owen calling her. She really couldn't face talking to him at the moment. She switched off her phone. She figured she could face his wrath a little later, when her room stopped spinning.

Owen's mood was beyond stormy at this point. He tried her phone again and when it went straight to voice mail, he knew that she had switched off her phone. He wondered if he should go to her apartment to confront her. No, he decided, he was going to wait for her to come to him.

It was in the afternoon that Cristina finally managed to get herself together. She looked at herself in the mirror. There were dark shadows under her eyes. "You look like crap," she said, as she put on some make-up to cover her under-eye circles.

The ride on her bike over to Owen's house felt great, as the cool breeze helped to energize her. She parked her bike outside of his townhouse and rummaged for her keys in her handbag.

He heard the turn of the key on his front door lock and watched her tiny figure quietly come through the door. She clearly did not look her best.

He looked at his watch. "Finally here, I see. What is it? Twelve hours late."

She gave him an apologetic look.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your review. It helps me with the thinking and writing process.**


	12. Chapter 12 Apology and tears

"I am sorry," Cristina said, looking to the floor.

"What are you sorry about, exactly? That you didn't show up last night? That you didn't take any of my calls? That you got here 12 hours later than you promised? That your behavior last night at the party was not I expected from my girlfriend?" Owen asked. "Which one of those are you apologizing for?"

"All of the above, I guess," she said. Though her thought process was still fuzzy, she wondered about the last one – her behavior at the party last night. How would he know about her behavior at the party last night, she thought. Heck, she didn't even remember much about her behavior last night.

"Is that all you're going to say about last night?" he asked.

"My head still hurts. I don't remember much," she said. "I guess I drank a little bit too much."

"I would think so," he said. "If you need to refresh your memory, just go to your Facebook page and have a look. I will leave you alone to take a look and think about how I feel about this situation." He left the room and went upstairs to his bedroom.

"Facebook?" she thought. "Good grief, my party exploits are already on Facebook."

She sat in front of his computer and logged on to her page. The pictures of her at the party all came up. As she went through them, she was taken aback. Dancing on the table wasn't so bad, she thought. Then she saw herself perched on Jackson's shoulders during some drinking game. Then there was the dancing she was doing, while sandwiched between Alex and Jackson. She probably figured it was the one where some guy was doing body shots off her stomach that probably sent Owen over the edge.

Her only consolation was that she wasn't making out with anybody or undressed in any of the photos. The thing was she couldn't remember much of anything that happened.

She silently untagged herself from each one of them. She took out her phone and texted both Meredith and April to check their FB pages and untag themselves from the pictures.

She got back an immediate text from Meredith, "I know. I just got a screaming earful from Derek. Damn those pictures."

She sent back a text, "Owen is extremely pissed. I think he wants to break up with me."

Meredith texted back, "Are you sure? He can't break up with you for that."

Cristina shot back, "He told me to look at the pics & ponder how he felt about it."

Meredith texted, "What are you going to do?"

Cristina replied, "I guess I will just leave. I messed up really bad."

She took out a notepaper from her knapsack and wrote him a note. She removed his townhouse key from her bunch and placed it next to the note. She let herself out of the townhouse, took one last look at the place and quietly closed the door.

Owen thought he had given Cristina enough time to look at the pictures and to think about the situation. He went back down the stairs, ready to have that prickly conversation with her. But she was nowhere to be seen.

"Cristina," he called out. There was no answer.

He looked at his computer, which was still on, and noticed there was a note next to it. He read it out aloud, "I am sorry. I messed up. Take care now." He picked up the key and shook his head.

"This is not what I meant, Cristina," he said. "This is not what I wanted you to do. I just wanted us to talk about it."

He called her, immediately and was frustrated that it went straight to voice mail. Her phone was off. He wondered what he should have done differently. How could she actually think that he wanted to break up with her?

Cristina had switched off her phone because she had slipped into a movie theater not far from Owen's townhouse. She liked the coolness and the darkness of the theater because it was soothing to her aching head. But she also liked the anonymity of it. She sat in a quiet, dark corner and sobbed inconsolably throughout the movie.

With the movie over, she headed to a student coffee house. There she met Jackson, lying on one of the sofas, sipping on a mocha latte. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of very dark glasses.

"Hey, Jackson," she said, as she curled up into an armchair.

"Do you feel as badly as I do?" Jackson asked.

"I think it was worse this morning but I am still recovering," she said.

"Why do you look so down? You look like you've been crying," he said. He removed his dark glasses. His beautiful green eyes looked weary.

"I think my boyfriend broke up with me," she said.

"What? Professor Hunt broke up with you. He is an idiot," Jackson said.

"Not really. Did you see the pictures of the party on Facebook?" Cristina said.

"Yeah, I did. They were something. I had to untag myself from those pictures. I can't let my mom see those. She would have a royal fit. She would say that I was wasting her money by partying my life away," he said, laughing.

"Well, he saw them and I really don't think he appreciated them at all. He was extremely pissed, to say the least," she said. "He told me that was not the kind of behavior he expected from his girlfriend."

"Oh, come on, we're just having a great time. We're young, we are allowed to do this kind of crap," Jackson said. "We only live once."

"Did you see the one with the guy doing body shots off my stomach?" she asked. "The others weren't so bad but that one really kind of surprised me. The sad thing is I don't remember it."

"I don't remember it, either," Jackson said, taking a sip of his coffee. "If Professor Hunt can't understand that it was just hijinks, then maybe he is not the guy for you."

"You think?" Cristina asked.

"Maybe you shouldn't be dating a professor. He's older than us, so he doesn't think like us. He doesn't understand us," Jackson said. "Maybe he has forgotten his student days."

Cristina nodded, thinking that it may be true.

Jackson continued, "Maybe you should be dating someone your own age. Think about it. That one date we had – didn't we have a great time? The movie, the dinner, the make-out session on the couch." He smiled, raising his eyebrows.

Cristina felt a little bit uncomfortable, being reminded of the fact she and Jackson had made out on her couch.

"So when you're ready to date again," he said. "I'm right here. Ready and waiting." He gave her a broad smile, showing off his perfect teeth. His bright green eyes seemed to light up at the prospect.

Cristina said, "I'll think about it." She did remember he was a good kisser and he was real easy on the eyes. She knew there were lots of girls who would love to go out with Jackson. All of her undergrads swooned over him, whenever they saw him. The only thing is that she didn't feel the same tingle with Jackson that she felt with Owen.

But maybe Jackson was right, she thought. Maybe she shouldn't be dating a professor. After all, this was the second professor in a row that she had dated. First was Preston, who turned out to a control freak.

And then there was Owen. Owen was different than Preston. He never tried to control her. He was good and kind and he just loved her. And now, she messed it all up, she thought. She felt like crying again.

Jackson saw her eyes fill up with tears. He patted the seat next to him. She went and sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. Her shoulders heaved as she sobbed.

"Awww," he said. "It's going to be alright. He doesn't know what he is missing. There will be other guys."

He held her until she stopped crying.

Back at his townhouse, Owen was pacing. He tried calling many times but all he got was the voice mail because Cristina had not turned back on her phone after leaving the movie theater.

He was worried. What if something had happened to her? He decided he was going to her apartment to see if she was there.

He drove to her apartment and knocked. Meredith, who was still feeling the after-effects of the previous night, opened the door. She looked as bad as Cristina.

"Hello, Meredith," he said. "Is Cristina here? I have been trying to call her all evening."

"No," she said. "I haven't spoken to Cristina for the evening. I have been sleeping. I did get a couple of texts from her but that was it."

"She came to my townhouse," he said. "And then she left, abruptly. I don't know where she has gone."

"Yeah, she told me that you broke up with her," Meredith said, giving him a look of disdain.

"I did not break up with her," he said. "I gave her some time to think about things and then, she just left."

"Oh, so you didn't break up with her," she said.

"NO! I love her," he said. It was the first time he had ever articulated what he felt for Cristina. He knew it was odd that the first person he told was her best friend.

Meredith smiled. Cristina was so wrong, she thought. She couldn't wait till Cristina came home so she could tell her about her boyfriend's visit.

"I can assure you, Professor Hunt, that as soon as Cristina shows up, I will have her call you," Meredith said. "As soon as she steps foot in this apartment, I will tell her."

"Thank you," Owen said.

He left the apartment with a heavy heart, returning to his townhouse to wait for Cristina's call.

It was several hours before Cristina returned to her apartment. It was close to midnight.

Meredith heard the thud of the front door closing from her bedroom and she ran out to greet her friend.

"Cristina! Where have you been?" Meredith cried out. "I have lots to tell you. I have been trying to call you."

"Oh, I forgot to switch my phone back on, when I left the movie theater this afternoon," she said. "What's up?"

"Your boyfriend was here!" Meredith yelled

"I don't have a boyfriend," Cristina said.

"Of course you do. Handsome professor by the name of Owen Hunt. He was here. You were wrong. He never broke up with you. He said he gave you some time to think and then you disappeared on him," Meredith said.

"Really?" Cristina answered. "Hmmm."

"By the way, where have you been all this time?" Meredith asked.

"With Jackson," Cristina said.

"Oh my God! Please don't tell me you had rebound sex with Jackson. Did you sleep with him?" Meredith shrieked.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I appreciate all of your comments very much.**


	13. Chapter 13 Making up

Cristina did not answer Meredith's question and instead, headed straight to her bedroom. She closed her door, stripped off her clothes and got in the shower, as she tried to wash off the events of the day. The water streaming across her skin made her feel a little bit more energized. She toweled off, changed into her pjs and came out of her bedroom to face Meredith.

"You're killing me here, Cristina," Meredith said. "Did you sleep with Jackson?"

"No, of course not," she said. "What kind of girl do you think I am? I don't do rebound sex."

Meredith breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, for a girl who doesn't do rebound sex, I do remember an incident, a couple of months ago, when you had sex with a man you barely knew. Where was it? Hmmm. Oh, yes, at Tulley's when you went out in the bush with some guy, who later became your boyfriend. So if you weren't doing rebound sex today, what have you been doing all of this time?"

"After leaving Owen's place, I went to a movie, then I ended up at the coffee house, met up with Jackson, then we went and grabbed some pizza and then shot some pool after that," she said.

"Well, aren't you going to call him?" Meredith said.

"Who?" Cristina said.

"Your boyfriend. You have to call him. I told him that as soon as you came home, I would have you call him. Please don't make me out to be a liar. Especially since he told me that he loved you," Meredith said.

"Love me? You have got to be kidding. He told you that he loved me. He has never said that to me," Cristina said. "Imagine he told you that before he told me." She shook her head in disbelief.

"So are you going to call him?" Meredith pressed, anxiously.

"Yeah, sure," Cristina said, taking her phone out of her knapsack. She went into the bedroom, switched on her phone and noted that she had five messages. She knew they were probably from Owen. She listened to each message, sighing after she heard them all.

She lay back against her pillows, contemplating whether to call him. She remembered her conversation with Jackson, regarding her relationship about whether she and Owen were in the right places in their lives to be pursuing this relationship. What Jackson had said had created huge doubts in her mind about whether the relationship would work, given their different perspectives.

After all, Owen was a professor and she was a student. Maybe he had forgotten what it was like to be a student and to do stupid things like getting drunk and partying the night away. Maybe he needed somebody who was more mature and more like him, she thought, someone who wouldn't embarrass him like she probably did.

She really didn't feel like talking to him, at the moment but she knew he was probably waiting up for her call.

She dialed his number. He answered after two rings.

"Cristina, thank God. Where have you been?" he asked.

"Just around. I heard you came by," she said.

"Yes, why did you leave? I just thought I was giving you some time to think and then we would talk about it," he said.

"Oh….I got the impression that you wanted to break up with me. I wanted to avoid going through the inevitable," she said.

"Why? What gave you that idea?" he asked. "I wasn't happy but I wasn't going to break up with you."

"It's because you said to consider how you felt about the situation. So I did, and if I were you, I would break up with me, too," she said.

"No, I wanted to talk to you about it," he said. "I am not a prude but I really don't want to see pictures of some strange guy taking body shots off your stomach. Come on, any man would be upset by that."

"Okay, I give you that," she said. "Does it help if I told you that I don't remember it?"

"That doesn't help, really because then, it bothers me that you were drinking to the extent that you can't remember the events of the night. That's just not safe for you. I know you girls just wanted to have a good time but you should exercise some level of caution. You are young women and there are lots of guys out there who would take advantage of you, when you are in an inebriated state," he said. "I just think that you should be more careful."

"Are you still mad?" she asked, quietly.

"No, not anymore. I was very pissed, last night and this morning. But it has dissipated because I became more worried about you than mad at you. It would just kill me if something happened to you," he said. "Do you want to come over? I'll come get you."

"Not tonight," she said. "I am tired. Still suffering the effects of my hangover. Also, I've had a bad day."

"Oh," he sounded disappointed. "Come over tomorrow morning. I will take you to breakfast and we can talk some more. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes," she said. "I'll ride my bike over in the morning."

"Good. I will see you tomorrow. Good night, babe," he said.

"Good night, Owen. Sweet dreams," she said, as she hung up the phone. She was glad that he was no longer upset but she kept wondering about the longevity of their relationship.

* * *

><p>She got up early the next morning, jumped on her bike and headed off to Owen's house. There was a slight chill in the air and she shuddered underneath her thin jacket. Her cheeks were red by the time she got to Owen's townhouse.<p>

She knocked and rang the doorbell at the same time. She no longer had a key to let herself in, since she had left it at his house, the day before. She could hear his feet thundering down the stairs.

He opened with door, with such joy on his face, as he picked her up and drew her into a kiss. "Just have been waiting for you to get here," he said, as he closed the door behind them. She rested her cold cheeks against his bare chest, drawing in his heat to warm her face up.

"Nice greeting, Owen," she said. "I'm glad to see you, too."

"Come on upstairs, let's go snuggle a bit before we go out," he said, holding her hand as they walked up the stairs.

She took off her jacket and shoes and crawled into bed, next to him. He pulled her closer to him. "I missed this last night," he said, as he claimed her mouth with his own. He then slipped her sweater over her head and unbuckled her bra, before he started unzipping her jeans. He removed her underwear and jeans in one single move.

"You're very talented at removing a girl's clothes. Have you had lots of practice?" she asked, laughing.

"Well, I have been developing that talent since college. But these days, I am only interested in removing only one particular girl's clothes," he said, as he slipped off his pj pants and boxer briefs. Then he looked into her eyes, "Because I love her."

He smiled. He finally said it to her. He had told Meredith that he had loved Cristina but he had never said it to her before. He was glad that he finally did.

He bent down and kissed her again, lightly nibbling her bottom lip. She closed her eyes and just let him do whatever he wanted with her. She was physically addicted to him. His smell, his touch, his kisses – they all made her weak. Their sexual chemistry was beyond compare, she thought. She had never had anything like that in her life.

When he entered her, it seemed almost like if they were one body. They fitted so well together; it felt like if her body was designed to fit his. She could feel how much he cared about her by the way he made love to her. It made her feel warm and loved on the inside.

When they finally disengaged from each other's body, he said, "Let's grab a shower and go get breakfast." They made love again in the shower, this time, a little more urgently than before. Cristina actually liked having sex in the shower because even though you got dirty, you could clean up at the same time.

As they dressed to go out for breakfast, Cristina wondered if Owen had realized that she had not reciprocated his declaration of love with her own. Jackson had planted seeds of doubt in her mind about their relationship. Owen seemed not to have noticed that she had not said it back to him, she thought. She was relieved because she was not yet ready to say it.

But she was wrong.

Owen had indeed noticed that she had not said anything. He felt more than a twinge of hurt, when he realized that she was not going to reciprocate. He had put himself out there when he told her that he loved her. It would have been nice for her to say something. He hoped the only reason that she didn't say anything was because she wasn't ready and not because she didn't love him.

Before they left, he told her to put out her hand. "You forgot something when you left yesterday," he said. He placed his townhouse key in her hand. "I think that belongs to you."

She smiled and put the key back into her purse. She took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. She looked up at him and gave him a beaming smile. He was warmed by it. She could not look like that at him, if she did not love him, he reassured himself.

"Let's go," he said, as they walked out the door, hand in hand.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please remember to leave your reviews. They truly help me with the thought process.**


	14. Chapter 14 The new professor

There was a knock on Sloan's door. Cristina and Professor Sloan both looked up from their papers.

"Come in," Sloan said. It was Dr. Webber with a very attractive, dark-haired woman. Sloan perked up immediately, Cristina noted.

"Ah, Sloan. This is our newest member of faculty, Professor Lisa Portillo. She will be taking over from Albright, now that he is retiring," Webber said. "This is Professor Mark Sloan. And the young lady is Cristina Yang, one of Sloan's grad students."

"Very pleased to meet you," Lisa said, shaking both Sloan's and Cristina's hands.

"Well, welcome to Stanford, Professor Portillo. Are you from in-state or out-of-state?" Sloan asked, holding on to Lisa's hands a little longer than necessary. He noted that she did not have a wedding ring.

She gently pulled away. "Actually, from University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Hoping for better weather in California."

"Well, you know this is northern California. If you wanted to get really good weather, you should have gone to UCLA or USC," Sloan said.

"Now, now," Webber said. "We don't want her running off to our friends down south."

"No, we don't want that. Welcome to California, Professor Portillo. Can I call you Lisa? You can call me Mark," Sloan said, with a huge grin on his face.

Lisa smiled at him and nodded.

"Okay, we're just having a little meet and greet for Professor Portillo, with all of the staff and the faculty members at our meeting facilities, this evening. Around 7 p.m., Sloan. I hope you can make it," Webber said, as he and Lisa were leaving.

"Well, what do you know? Things are looking up around here on the faculty side," Sloan said to Cristina. "Damn sight better looking than old man Albright, any day."

"Yes, Dr. Sloan. Now where were we?" Cristina said.

* * *

><p>Owen was looking out of his window, down into the courtyard. He could see Cristina and Jackson deep in conversation. He saw Jackson take Cristina's knapsack from her, as they walked away together. He never could get the image of Jackson making out with Cristina out of his mind so it always bothered him, when he saw them together, even though he knew that they were just friends.<p>

There was a sharp rap on his door. He turned away from the window and opened the door for his visitor. It was Sloan.

"Hey, Hunt," Sloan said. "Have you seen the new hottie professor they have just hired? Lisa Portillo, originally from Michigan."

"No, I have been in classes all morning," Owen said.

"She's taking over from Albright. A vast improvement on an esthetic level," Sloan said.

"I am sure she is," Owen said, aware of Sloan's horndog ways.

"Are you going to the meet and greet party for her this afternoon?" Sloan asked. "I need a wingman."

"I got an email from Webber about it. I am not sure as yet. I have to check with Cristina on what she wants to do this evening," Owen said.

"Oh, my God, you are letting that little grad student decide on your itinerary for the evening," Sloan said.

"Well, she is my girlfriend," Owen said. "And I like to spend most of my free time with her."

"Well, regardless of what your little girlfriend says, I need you to be there at that party. You have to help me score big time with the new prof?" Sloan said. "Talk me up, you know the usual."

"Can Cristina come?" Owen asked.

"I don't think so. It's only for faculty and staff," Sloan said. "You have to come. You owe me. I did you a favor, when we decided to exchange our grad students, so you could get together with your girlfriend."

"I knew you were going to bring that up," Owen said, shaking his head. "I guess I do owe you. I will just let Cristina know what I am doing this evening. By the way, as a friend, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, what about?" Sloan said.

"Cristina. Has she been acting strangely, lately?" Owen asked.

"Not really. Not that I have noticed. She's still snarky towards me, so that's no different," he said. "What has she been doing?"

"I have found her a little distant these days. I am not sure what is going on," Owen said, with a perplexed expression.

"You did anything differently?" Sloan asked, drawing from his many years of dealing with women.

"Well, I did tell her that I loved her," Owen said.

"Oh my God, you really went out there. Did she say it back?" Sloan asked, aghast.

"Uhm, no but her saying nothing is better than her saying that she doesn't love me, right?" Owen said.

"Hunt, I think the girl is running scared!" Sloan said. "That's why she is distant."

"Hmm. I see she has been hanging around with that Avery kid a lot. I wonder if he is putting ideas in her head," Owen said.

"Oh, I put them on a project together. They are doing some research for me," Sloan said. "I am sorry if that is cramping your style. I was going to assign Yang to do it by herself and then, Avery immediately volunteered his services to help. I can't say no to extra help, can I? The kid is lazy and if he volunteers to do something, I have to encourage it."

"So that's what they were doing. I just saw them together on the courtyard. They were looking like they were headed to the library," Owen said. "I'll send her a text about the meet and greet. She looks like she is going to be busy."

He sent her a text and he got a prompt reply from Cristina. "Will be stuck in the library all evening. Have fun."

"Well, Sloan, it looks like you have a wingman," Owen said.

"That is just awesome, Hunt," Sloan said.

* * *

><p>Lisa stood in the middle of the room as the center of attention. She was being introduced to so many people that it was all becoming a blur. She nodded politely to everyone, even though she could not remember all of their names.<p>

As they came through the door, Sloan made a quick scan of the room and spotted Lisa, immediately.

"There she is, Hunt. Ain't she a beaut?" Sloan said. Hunt took a look at the woman and agreed that she was attractive. "Well, come on, let's go get ourselves a drink and then amble across to Professor Portillo."

They both got themselves some scotch and made their way across to Lisa.

"Well, Lisa, remember me, Mark from this morning," Sloan said.

"Ah, yes, Professor Sloan, you were one of the first people I met. I haven't forgotten you," she said. She looked across at Owen. This was one person she had not met. If she did, she would have remembered him.

"And you are?" she said, putting out her hand towards Owen.

Owen took her hand, "Owen Hunt, finance professor."

"I am Lisa Portillo, organizational behavior professor," she said.

"I know. This party is for you," Owen said.

"Oh, silly me. I forgot. I didn't get a chance to meet you, this morning, when Dr Webber was taking me around to meet the faculty," she said, giggling, as she took in the fine specimen of a man.

"No, I had classes all morning," Owen said.

Sloan gave Owen an evil glare. Hunt was supposed to be helping him, not talking about himself. Owen caught Sloan's look, so he zipped up his lips.

"So, how are you liking it here?" Sloan said, giving her what he thought was a sultry smile.

Lisa looked taken aback. Why was this man smiling at her like this? "It has been great, Mark. Everyone has been very helpful. So, Dr Hunt, do you have any stock tips to pass on to me? You are the Wall Street guy, aren't you? Dr Webber mentioned it to me this morning," she said.

"Ah, well, my days on Wall Street are long over. But it was good to me. I was able to make myself a tidy sum, which allowed me to get back to academics," Owen said.

"Then, you must have been very good, Dr. Hunt," Lisa said, smiling broadly. "I am sure you are good at lots of things."

What the hell, Sloan thought, the woman was flirting with Hunt. Owen was starting to feel uncomfortable. He was not at all cracked up to be a wingman, especially when it seemed that he was the one getting the heat.

"Excuse me," he said, giving Sloan an apologetic look. "I have to call someone. Professor Sloan will be able to let you know all of the secrets of our school. He has amazing insight."

Owen found himself a quiet corner and dialed Cristina's number. He just wanted to hear her voice.

"Hello," a male voice answered.

Owen was a little confused. "Isn't this Cristina Yang's number?"

"Yes, it is," the male voice said.

"Well, can I speak to her?" Owen asked.

"Well, she is a little indisposed at the moment," the male voice said.

Indisposed, he thought, what the heck was she doing?

"Can I leave her a message?" Owen asked.

"Certainly," the male voice replied.

"Can you tell her that Owen called and if she can call me back as soon as possible?" Owen said.

"Ah, Dr. Hunt. I will let her know that you called," Jackson said and promptly hung up. He put her phone on silent mode, in case Owen tried to call her back.

Cristina came out of the bathroom. "Oh, great, the pizza has arrived." She took up a slice and started nibbling at one of the ends. Both she and Jackson had left the library earlier that evening and they were back at her apartment, going to type up all of their research to present to Dr Sloan.

"Did anybody call while I was in the bathroom?" she asked.

"No, no one called," he said. He knew he was deliberately lying. That professor did not deserve her, he thought. She needs to be with someone her own age.

"Okay, well, let's get back to work," Cristina said, flipping open her laptop.

Owen put away his phone and went back to the party. He re-joined Lisa and Sloan, who were engrossed in conversation. At least, it seemed like Sloan was.

"Ah, Dr Hunt, have you re-thought the idea of giving me some stock tips?" she asked.

Owen answered, a little distracted. "Yeah, sure. Tomorrow."

Lisa brightened up, immediately. She had found that Sloan seemed to be trying too hard and that turned her off. Hunt, on the other hand, she found to be intriguing. She knew she was an attractive woman and she was used to men, falling all over themselves, trying to impress her. But Hunt, it seemed, did not seem at all interested. He was very nonchalant and didn't seem to be trying at all. It drove her crazy when a good-looking man was not paying her any sort of attention.

"Sloan," Owen said. "I am heading out, now. Going home. Sorry I couldn't be of much service. Goodbye, Professor Portillo."

"I will see you, tomorrow," Lisa said. "I'll come by around 9 a.m. Is that good for you?"

"Yeah, okay," Owen said, as he left the party.

Owen went home and made himself some dinner. He was not the party type of guy and really wanted to get out of that place. All he wanted was to spend quiet time with Cristina. Why wasn't she calling him back? She had been so distant, lately, like if she was constantly thinking. He was afraid that he was losing her.

Jackson watched Cristina, as she was typing away. She would sometimes have to tuck away an unruly curl, when it fell on her face. He looked at her lips and remembered how she tasted when they had kissed. He had a plan.

Lisa wrote down her appointment with Owen into her schedule on her phone. That was one appointment she was not going to miss. She was going to get to know this man better. She had a plan.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews and comments. It is nice to read what you are thinking.**


	15. Chapter 15 Bar visit

Owen didn't know why he agreed to this meeting with Professor Portillo. He really wasn't up to discussing stocks with her, this morning. He still hadn't spoken to Cristina and he tried calling her again but there was no answer.

There was a rap on his door. "Come in," he said. It was Lisa, dressed in an emerald green suit.

"Good morning, Dr. Hunt," Lisa said, giving him a beaming smile.

"Good morning, Dr. Portillo. How are you?" he said. "Have a seat."

"Doing well. Just finding my way around here," she said, as she got herself comfortable. She looked around and noted all of his personal belongings. He did have one picture on his desk but it was turned away from her, so she could not see who it was.

She had already noted at the get-together the day before that he was not wearing a wedding ring. That was a good sign that he was probably available. They sat there, chatting about what would be good buys for her portfolio, until they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Owen said. Lisa was a little peeved that they were being disturbed. A small, dark-haired Asian girl stepped into the office. Lisa found she looked familiar.

"Hey," the girl said.

Lisa was aghast that this girl, who looked like a student in her tiny t-shirt and jeans, could be so familiar in her speech to a professor.

The girl said to Lisa, "Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Portillo." Now, Lisa remembered where she had met the girl. She was the student in Sloan's office. Lisa racked her brain to remember the girl's name – something Yang. She had met so many people, yesterday, that she was unable to fully remember everyone's names.

The girl continued, "I saw that you called me a couple of times. I'm sorry but for some reason, my phone was on silent mode so I didn't hear any of the calls."

"Okay," Owen said. "At least I know that you weren't ignoring me. I didn't see you at all, yesterday."

"Well, I could come by at lunchtime. I am meeting with Jackson this morning. We have a couple of things to discuss before we meet Professor Sloan this afternoon," the girl said.

"Oh," Owen said. Another meeting with Jackson, that kid was becoming a nuisance, Owen thought.

He added, "Well, I see you at lunchtime, then. Can I get a kiss?"

Cristina was a little taken aback that Owen would ask her for a kiss, in front of that new professor. The new professor also was in a state of shock as she could not believe her ears. Did Professor Hunt actually ask the student for a kiss?

Cristina came forward and gently gave him a peck on the lips. She was a little embarrassed with this public display of affection.

"Thank you," he said. "I will see you at lunchtime."

It was now fully confirmed in Lisa's mind. Professor Hunt was actually dating Sloan's student. She was a little dumbfounded.

"Bye," Cristina said, giving a little wave as she left.

"Your girlfriend?" Lisa asked, hoping that the shock in her voice was not evident.

"Yes, her name is Cristina," Owen said, with a smile. He looked at his watch. "Oh, Dr. Portillo, I have a class to teach, now. So I guess I will see you, sometime."

"Certainly, Dr. Hunt," Lisa said, as she got up. "Have a great day."

"Same to you," Owen said, as he packed up his briefcase to go to his class.

As Lisa left Owen's office, clearly, Dr. Hunt was not as unavailable as she had thought. But no problem, she thought, she was a sophisticated woman and his girlfriend was a mere girl, just a student.

* * *

><p>Cristina returned to his office at lunchtime, as promised. He had ordered some Chinese take out delivery and it had already arrived in his office, much to Cristina's delight.<p>

"Great, I am starved," she said, grabbing one of the spring rolls.

"Haven't seen much of you, lately," Owen said. "Nice to finally see you for at least an hour."

"I know. It sucks but I have been so busy, especially doing work for Sloan. Jackson and I have been working together so much lately," she said.

"I have realized that. How has that been working out for you?" he said. He didn't really trust that Avery kid around Cristina. He had seen the way the young man looked at his girlfriend. Owen was also 99.9 per cent sure that Avery did not give Cristina the message to call him, when he had called yesterday.

"We're working well as a team, so far," she said, between bites.

"Hmmm," he said. "So you're going to finish off this project and you will be free, tonight. Right?"

"Yup," she said. "After this afternoon, I should be free."

"Yes," he said. "I want you to come over and stay the night, please."

"Okay," she nodded. "This chicken is really good."

He smiled at her. At least he was getting tonight with his girl, he thought.

* * *

><p>It was about 6 p.m. and he thought about heading home. He was going to fix a little dinner and wait for Cristina to come by. His phone buzzed. It was a text from Cristina. "Jackson &amp; I were given another project by Sloan. Won't be able to come by."<p>

Owen was mad. What the heck was Sloan trying to do to him? He dialed Sloan's number.

When he heard Sloan's super-sultry "hello," that made him even more pissed. "Sloan," Owen said. "I am not one of your women."

"Sorry about that. I was expecting a call from Professor Portillo. She hasn't called me all day and it's coming on to the end of the day, so I thought maybe she would have called and asked to go out for a drink," Sloan said.

"Dream on, Sloan. What the heck are you trying to do to my sex life? You give Cristina and Avery another project and now, she isn't coming over to spend the night," Owen said.

"Sorry about that. They did such a great job on the last assignment. So I gave them another assignment. Avery jumped on that like if it was last piece of pie. Volunteered the two of them to work on it on the spot," Sloan said.

"Of course, he volunteered. He gets to spend time with my girlfriend. That is his whole aim," Owen said. "Has he ever volunteered to do anything before?"

"Not really but if it is a project with your girl, he is there," Sloan said.

"Good grief, man. Stop it with the bloody projects," Owen said and hung up.

He was packing up his books, when Lisa stuck in her head. "Hey, Dr. Hunt, do you want to get a drink? Show me the local watering hole around here."

Owen thought about it. Cristina was not going to come over, so he might as well do something else. "Sure," he said. "There are a few bars we frequent around here. Just give me a few minutes to tidy up my desk."

Lisa smiled. He didn't give too much fight about going out for a drink. This might be easier than she thought.

Owen locked his office and as they were passing Sloan's office, he stopped. "Hey Sloan," he said. "We're going out for a drink. Do you want to join us?'

"Certainly," Sloan said, picking up his jacket. "I am totally up for that." Hunt was proving to be a better wingman today than he was yesterday.

"Good evening, Professor Portillo," Sloan said with a huge grin.

Lisa answered through clenched teeth. "Good evening, Professor Sloan. Glad you could join us." She was a little peeved that Owen had invited the other professor. It was like she was never going to get a chance to be alone with him.

They drove over to O'Flynn's and grabbed a couple of seats at the bar. Owen ordered a scotch, Lisa a gin and tonic and Sloan had a brandy.

"So this is where you guys hang out?" Lisa asked.

"Some of the time. Though there is a little dive bar a couple of buildings down, Emerald City where we spend the rest of our drinking time," Sloan said.

Lisa found Owen was rather quiet. He was just silently drinking and not really contributing to the conversation. It was true; Owen was just drowning his sorrows in his scotch. He could have been home, having dinner with his girlfriend and getting a little bit of action but here he was, drinking with two people he really didn't care that much about.

He finished his first drink and ordered a second and a third. He was going to drink, tonight, if he couldn't be with Cristina.

"Hey there, big fella, don't you think you're downing those a little too fast," Sloan said.

Owen glared at him, which shut Sloan up immediately.

"Okay, then," Sloan said and turned back his attention to Lisa. Lisa, on the other hand, felt the night was turning out to be a huge loss. Hunt seemed to be in a bad mood and she couldn't get rid of Sloan in her face.

An hour later, Owen was still drinking, while Lisa had decided to make the best of her situation by actually paying attention to Sloan's attempts to woo her.

Owen was going to call it a night and phone for a cab to take him home. He paid his bill but, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of long, dark, curly hair. There was only one person he knew with that kind of hair. He took a better look. It was definitely Cristina and she was following Avery to one of the booths. What was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be doing research?

Jackson was indeed ushering Cristina into one of the booths. He had persuaded her to take a break from the research and go grab a drink. It wasn't too hard to convince Cristina to get out of the library. So they found themselves at O'Flynn's, one of the bars frequented by both staff and students. They ordered two beers from the server, who promptly brought over their brews.

"I am glad that we got out of that library," Jackson said. "Two days straight in that library."

"Yeah," Cristina said, taking a drink. She leaned back into her seat to relax. She was surprised when she heard a very familiar voice.

"What are you doing here?" Owen said. His voice was slow and a bit slurred, an indication that he was probably drunk. "Aren't you supposed to be doing research? Isn't that why you couldn't come over to my house?"

"I was doing research. We're just taking a break. Are you drunk?" she asked, concerned.

"Maybe," Owen said, slightly swaying. "And you're here with this guy? The one who didn't tell you that I called yesterday. Isn't that so, Avery?"

"Um…" Jackson said. Cristina gave him a questioning look.

"Yeah, I talked to him and told him to tell you to call me as soon as possible. Never got a call so obviously, you weren't told that I called," Owen said. "Trying to get between a man and his girl, Avery?"

He continued, "And Cristina, I don't what's been going on with you. You haven't been good to me. A man tells you that he loves you and you say nothing back. How do you think that makes me feeeeeel?"

He started swaying a little more. "I have to sit down," he said, as he squeezed in next to Cristina. "Ooh, my head hurts." He rested his head on the table. Cristina stroked his hair.

"I think I will take you home, Owen. Let's go find your car in the parking lot," she said, as she helped him up. "Avery, I will see you, tomorrow."

They walked out of the bar, together, with Owen resting his weight on his tiny girlfriend. Both Lisa and Jackson watched the couple leave. They both realized at the same time that their efforts to break them up were going to be futile.

Cristina and Owen got to his townhouse, where she took off his clothes and put him in the shower, letting the water run over him. When he started to feel a little better, she dried him off, dressed him in his pajamas and put him to bed. She got in next to him and he rested his head against her, listening to the beating of her heart.

"Owen," she said.

"Yes," he answered, quietly.

"I love you," she said.

He smiled. "I love you, too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. They are much appreciated and help me to write.**


	16. Chapter 16 Moving out

Owen woke up with a pounding headache. He really had to have drunk a lot of whiskey last night to wake up in such major pain. He barely remembered any of it. He did remember going with Professors Portillo and Sloan to the bar and feeling sorry for himself that he could not be with Cristina. He did not have a clue on how he got home. He could swear that Cristina was with him last night and she told him that she loved him.

But he was all alone in his bed, this morning. She must have been a figment of his imagination, he thought. He groaned. He missed her so much that he was having dreams of her, holding him close and telling him that she loved him. He hugged Cristina's pillow. Strangely enough, it smelt strongly of her perfume. It comforted him. He was just breathing in the scent, when he heard the sound of her small feet on his wooden floor.

He looked up to see Cristina bringing in two mugs of coffee. It wasn't a dream; she really had been there during the night. He smiled, happily, at the sight of her.

"Good morning, sleepy head. Is your head pounding? Does it feel like there is a guy, playing bongo drums, in your brain?" she asked, cheerily.

"Yes, don't talk so loud," he said, as he took a mug of coffee and two aspirins from her.

"I can well imagine. You had a lot to drink last night," she said, sipping from her own cup.

"How did I get home?" he asked, sheepishly.

"I drove you home in your SUV. I undressed you, got you in the shower and then put you in your pjs and then you fell asleep," she said.

"Is that all that happened?" he asked. He needed to know whether what he thought what she had said, had not been a dream.

"Well, you were with your colleagues, Portillo and Sloan, who were probably shocked to see you drink that much," she said.

"I don't care about them. I want to know whether something you told me last night was actually you saying it and not some dream that I had," Owen said, looking into her eyes.

"Whatever do you mean?" she teased him, laughing.

"Don't laugh at me. Just tell me. I am coherent, now. I need to know," he said, his eyes pleading.

"Oh, alright. You're so lovely when you beg," she said. She snuggled up next to him. "I love you, Owen Hunt."

"Yes, I didn't dream it. You love me! And I love you!" he said, hugging her tightly.

She could feel his hands, wandering up her t-shirt to caress her breasts. "Is there something you want up there?" she asked, jokingly.

"Well, my head may be pounding but there are other parts of me that are still working very well and haven't been able to experience your sweetness in a while," he said. "You've been stuck on some project with Avery for a while, now. My body misses you, I miss you."

"Well, speaking of Avery, I have to meet him, this morning to continue to work on said project," Cristina said.

Owen groaned. "You know I don't like that kid."

"Well, you let that be known, yesterday," Cristina laughed.

"I did? What did I say?" Owen asked, slapping his head. "Did I make a fool out of myself?"

"Not too bad. You just told Avery that you knew that he didn't tell me that you had called, the other night. And if he was trying to get between a man and his girl." Cristina said.

He shook his head. "I really shouldn't drink that much. But I think I meant every word of whatever I said. Drinking kind of loosens the tongue and you say what you actually think."

"I think you scared him off," she said. "And for your information, there is no way he was getting between a man and his girl, if that girl is me."

"Really?" he said. "If that's the case, then there has been something I have been thinking about a lot, lately. I don't expect an answer right away because I really want you to think about it."

"That sounds ominous," she said. "Will I even like it?"

"Well, I am hoping that you do," he said. "The last few days have been terribly lonely without you. I was wondering, actually hoping, that you would move in with me."

"Move in?" she echoed.

"Yeah, that way, I get to see you, every day. I can wake up with you in the morning and we can go to bed with each other at night. We can have our meals together, cook together, shower together, read Sunday paper in bed together. We can have a life with each other," he said.

"What about Meredith?" Cristina said, wondering about her current roommate.

"I am sure Meredith can find another roommate," he said. "There are lots of people around Palo Alto that are looking for a nice place to live. It won't be hard for her to find another student to move in. So I really want you to consider moving in with me."

"Okay, I will," she said. "Do you want to continue what you just started a couple of minutes ago?" She put her hands up his t-shirt to feel the muscles in his chest.

"I like the way you think. We can even get to do this, more often, too, if you move in. Think about it," he said, as he lifted her t-shirt over her head to reveal her bare breasts. As he gently licked her nipples, he said, "I could do this." He sucked one nipple. "And this." Then he sucked at the other nipple, feeling it harden in his mouth.

"Ah, yes," she sighed. "I could get used to doing this, every day. You are being very persuasive."

"Every day?" he said.

"Yes, if you want me to move in with you, I need to get major incentives," she teased.

"I will try my best," he said. "But you do realize I am a couple of years older than you."

"Aw, I know you can do it, Big Daddy," she said.

"Oh, my God, now I sound like if I am your sugar daddy. I am not that old," he said. "But all kidding aside, I want you to seriously think about it. I really want you to move in with me."

"I know. I promise I will think about it. So what were you trying to show me again?" she asked, saucily.

"Just this," he said, drawing her into a lengthy kiss, as he removed the rest of her clothes.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Cristina returned home from school. It had been an uneventful day, except for the cold politeness between her and Jackson. She still could not believe that he would stoop to that level to not tell her that Owen had called, when she specifically asked if there were any calls. Worse yet, she had always considered him as a friend. They worked on the project together and presented their findings to Professor Sloan, who was mindful not to give them any more projects, given Hunt's stern warnings to him.<p>

She dropped her bag on to the dining table. She really needed to talk to Meredith, who was sitting on the couch, knitting a scarf.

"Hey, Mer, I need to speak to you about something," Cristina said, the anxiety was evident in her voice.

"What about? Something major has happened. I just know it. I can tell from your voice," Meredith said, now starting to feel anxious.

"Well, I better just come out and say it. Owenhasaskedmetomoveinwithhim," Cristina said, the words all came out in a jumble.

"What?" Meredith asked.

"Owen has asked me to move in with him," Cristina said, much more slowly.

"Really?" Meredith said. "And you want to move in with him. Are you sure about that?"

"I think I want to do it," Cristina said, feeling bad and not looking at Meredith.

"This is a huge step, Cristina. You know living with a man is totally different from living with a female roommate. They always leave the toilet seat up, they hog the tv remote control and they always put their feet up on the coffee table," Meredith said. "Plus they can be smelly."

"Owen smells nice," Cristina offered, as her only defense.

"So you really want to do this?" Meredith said.

Cristina nodded.

"Then I guess it's okay for me to tell you this. Derek asked me to move in with him and I want to say yes," Meredith said, with a smile. "I was so worried about what you were going to say and if you were going to feel that I was abandoning you. You're my best friend and I didn't want to hurt you."

"I was feeling the same way. So this works out fine for the both of us," Cristina said, feeling most relieved. "I think I will call Owen and tell him."

She dug her phone out of her bag and went into her room. She dialed her boyfriend's number.

"Hey, babe," he answered.

"Hey. I spoke to Meredith about you asking me to move in with you," she said.

"And?" he asked.

"She's okay with it because she's moving in with Shepherd," Cristina said.

"Great, it worked out really well. When can you move in? Do I need to drive across to get your stuff?" he said.

"Tomorrow, it's the weekend. I don't really have that much stuff, just clothes, books, personal belongings, towels and linens. The apartment came fully furnished, so none of the furniture is ours," she said.

"Perfect," he said. "I will be there at 7 a.m. tomorrow. I am very excited."

"Alright, well, goodbye," she said.

"Bye, babe. Just me and you this weekend," he said. "We're starting a new life together."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Owen showed up even earlier than 7 a.m. Cristina was still in bed and heard the knocking on the door.<p>

She groaned, as she got out of bed. She opened the front door to see a cheery-looking Owen, armed with coffee and breakfast. He looked a little too perky for Cristina, who was struggling to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Owen, it's not seven as yet," she said, yawning.

"I know, I was too excited to sleep last night. I brought some boxes for your stuff," he said, stepping into the apartment and handing over the breakfast.

"Oh, good, I am so hungry," she said. He followed her into her bedroom and watched her crawl back into bed, while eating and drinking. He immediately launched into ferocious packing mode as he put all of her books, toiletries, linens, towels, personal belongings, computer and printer into boxes.

He discovered two suitcases in her closet and started neatly packing all of her clothes into them. Watching him fold her underwear and t-shirts, she realized that having her in his townhouse at all times was going to be a huge adjustment for him, given that he was so much better in housekeeping that she was. She hoped that he was not going to regret asking her to move in with him.

He was so efficient that he had her completely packed in 45 minutes. "Okay, I'm ready to leave, whenever you are," he said. Cristina crawled out of the bed and watched him strip her bed of its comforter and sheets. "We will wash these when we get to the townhouse."

"I have to say goodbye to Meredith," she said.

"Fine," he said. "I will just put everything into my vehicle." He picked up two boxes and disappeared out of the apartment.

She went into Meredith's bedroom and curled up next to her friend. It felt so bittersweet. She and Meredith had lived together since they were undergrads. For almost seven years, they were together, first sharing a dorm room when they were freshmen to getting an apartment their sophomore year, right up to their grad student days.

"You're leaving?" Meredith said.

"Yes," Cristina said. "When is Derek coming to move you out?"

"This afternoon," Meredith said. "So this is it. We are not going to live together for the first time in years. This is going to be so hard."

"Yeah, we're growing up, Meredith. We're moving on with our lives, we're forming committed relationships with men. We're no longer the stupid, giggling freshmen we used to be, who stayed up all night, talking about the cute guys in Econ class," Cristina said.

"Yeah. But you're still my best friend and I love you like my sister," Meredith said. The two girls hugged each other.

"We'll still see each other, every day," Cristina said. "We'll just not be living with one another."

"Yeah, maybe we can do a double date, both of us with our professors," Meredith said, laughing.

"I love you, Meredith Grey," Cristina said, kissing her friend's cheek.

"I love you, too, Cristina," Meredith said. Cristina got up and placed the apartment key on Meredith's nightstand. She left the bedroom and found Owen waiting for her in the living room.

"I put everything in the SUV," he said. He put out his hand and she slipped her smaller hand into his.

As they walked out of the door, she took a wistful look back at the apartment, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews.** **I really do appreciate reading them.**


	17. Chapter 17 Living together

**A/N: So I decided to make this a light chapter, given all the drama that is happening in the show right now.**

* * *

><p>"So you can have this side of the closet," Owen said. "And I also cleared out some of the drawers in the dressers outside."<p>

"What did you do with your clothes that you removed?" Cristina asked, as she stepped into his large walk-in closet.

"I gave away some of the clothes I never wear anymore to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. If I hadn't worn it in two years, I probably wouldn't wear it again and I donated them," he said.

"You didn't have to give away your clothes because of me moving in," she said. "I could have used the closet in one of the other bedrooms."

"No, I want you to have your clothes in here, next to mine," he said. "I want to share this closet with you. I don't want you having to go to a next bedroom to get changed. This is our bedroom and our closet."

"Okay," she said, opening her suitcases and starting to haphazardly hang some of her clothes.

"Let me do that for you," he said. He separated the shirts, the sweaters, the skirts, the dresses and the pants into different piles before he started hanging them up in his very large walk-in closet. Then he took her socks, underwear, t-shirts and accessories and placed them in the chest of drawers in the bedroom. He then took her coats and put them in the closet next to the front door. He unpacked her sneakers, casual shoes, boots and high heels and put them on the shoe shelves in his closet.

She was amazed at the speed and efficiency at which he moved. He put her toiletries in his bathroom on her side of the sink and took down her books, computer and printer into the den. Before she knew it, she was completely packed and moved in to his townhouse.

"So let's get your dirty clothes and used sheets into the wash," Owen said, as he picked up her basket of laundry. "What are you going to do now?"

"I am going to take a shower," she said.

"Fine," he said, before disappearing out of the room.

She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and took a long, luxurious shower. She came out, wrapped in the towel. He had woken her up so early this morning, she felt like taking a little nap. After all, Saturdays were meant for lazing in. She stripped off the towel, dropped it on a chair and snuggled under the sheets, nude. She had dozed off for about five minutes, when Owen returned to check on her.

So the little minx seemed to be naked under the sheets, he thought. He stripped off his clothes and got in next to her. He started showering her with kisses on her face and neck, so she would wake up.

She murmured and moaned at the feel of his kisses. She opened her eyes, reluctantly.

"This," he said, "is one of the advantages of living together as a couple. We can make love anytime we want." He ran his hands along her body and it aroused him to feel her silken skin under his fingers. "Your skin is so smooth and gorgeous," he whispered into her ear. "Let's do this."

"I am a little bit sleepy," she protested a little bit.

"Don't worry, I will be quick," he said, as he penetrated her with his fingers. "You're already wet, your body wants me more than you know."

She moaned as he worked his fingers to turn her on even more. "Okay, okay, you win," she said to him, as she pulled his face in for a deep kiss.

As he moved on top of her to enter her, she gasped and dug her nails into his back. "Oh, God, yes," she said. "A good reminder of why I moved in."

"Agreed," he said, as they lost themselves in making love to each other. When it was over, Cristina was spent and ready to cuddle.

As he rolled off of her, he noted from the corner of his eye, something that caught his attention. It was a towel on one of the chairs.

"Cristina," he asked. "Is that towel wet?"

"Um, it's a little damp," she admitted. "I thought I would get to it after I had my nap."

He got up, immediately, and picked up the towel and hung it in the bathroom, before getting back into the bed with her. She was surprised that he would feel it was so necessary to hang up the towel at that very moment, when she was so ready to cuddle. She was a little put off by it but she decided not to let it bother her as she snuggled up against him.

* * *

><p>It was about a week of living together that Owen noticed that there were things that Cristina did, which messed up his orderly style of living. Of course, there were the good things, like waking up next to each other, sharing meals, watching tv, cuddling and making love whenever they wanted.<p>

Cristina, he realized, was not the neatest person around. When she came home from school, she would kick off her shoes, drop her knapsack on the floor and dump her coat on a chair. Then, she would go into the kitchen, rummage through the refrigerator for a snack, eat and leave her unwashed plate and glass in the kitchen. Then, she would go to the bedroom, strip off her clothes and drop them on the floor, creating a trail as she made her way to the bathroom.

Every day, when he came home from work, he would start the clean-up from the time he entered the door. Her shoes went into the closet, her knapsack was put on the table, her coat was hung up in the closet, her plate, glasses and eating utensils were washed, her clothes were picked up and put in the laundry basket and then her towel would be put back to dry in the bathroom. He didn't mind it all in the beginning and he convinced himself that liked doing these things for her.

That is, until the day, when he was so engrossed in reading the mail that he tripped over her knapsack and he banged his head against the doorknob of the closet. His forehead started smarting, immediately, and he knew he was going to develop a huge goose egg on his forehead. He was livid.

"Cristina!" he yelled, as he kicked at her knapsack in frustration. "Cristina!"

She came skipping down the stairs with her Ipod buds in her ears. She removed them to be able to hear him.

"Hey, what's up?" she said, cheerfully.

"We have got to talk," he said. "Things have to change around here."

"What happened to your head? You have a huge red bump on your forehead," she said, coming forward to touch it.

"Ouch," he said. "I wouldn't have got this if you hadn't left your bloody knapsack on the floor. I tripped over the darn thing."

"My knapsack?" she said. She gave him an apologetic look as she picked up the knapsack and placed it on the table.

"That's not the only thing, Cristina, you leave everything everywhere. You are such a messy person. There are your shoes kicked to the side, your coat on that chair. I am pretty sure you left dirty dishes in the sink and let's not talk about that trail of clothes in the bedroom, upstairs," he said.

"I mean we live together, now, and you have to learn to pick up after yourself. You're such a small person but you create the biggest messes," he continued. She was so unlike Jen, who was as neat and orderly as he was.

He could see Cristina was pouting. She hated being criticized.

"Well, it's not like you are a barrel of laughs," she said. "Mr. Everything Neat and Proper."

"What?" he was flabbergasted. What could she be talking about?

"I think you have OCD," she declared.

"I do not have OCD," he protested. "I am just neat and well-organized."

"Yes, you are. Everything has to be in its proper place or you get frantic. I have been testing you," she said, nodding to herself.

"What have you been doing?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Every time I go to the bathroom, I twist the towels askew so that one side is higher than the next," she said. "When I go back to check it, the towels are always perfectly straight and even.

"Then there are the tins of food in the pantry. I changed it around so the peas, the corn, the different types of beans are all mixed up. When I come back, everything is back in its proper place – peas are together, the corn is together, the lima beans are together, the red kidney beans are together, the black beans are together. You have OCD."

"No, that is just so I can find things easier when I cook. I know where everything is in its place," he said.

"Hmmm," she said. "What about the towels?'

"It just looks better when the ends are even," he said. "I am not OCD."

"Let's prove it. Don't pick up after me," she said. "You won't be able to stand it and will clean it up."

"Okay, I am going to prove to you that I do not have OCD. I am not going to pick up after you," Owen said.

* * *

><p>For three days, Owen did not clean up after Cristina. He left her clothes on the floor and he left her dirty dishes in the sink. He left everything where he found them. Though it was bothering him to look at the mess, he was determined to win this battle of wills.<p>

By the fourth day, his townhouse was in shambles. He knew he was going to break. He had made up his mind that he needed to clean up. So if he had OCD, so be it, he thought, as he headed back to the townhouse after work. He sighed as he opened his front door.

To his astonishment, his townhouse was not the way he had left it this morning. The place was spotless. He almost thought that he was in the wrong townhouse but the picture of himself and Cristina on the mantel of the fireplace reminded him that he was in the right place.

There were no books, knapsack or stray shoes on the floor; the pile of dirty dishes in the sink had been washed and put away. Even the kitchen counters looked like they had been disinfected and wiped clean. He could hear the sound of the washing machine and dryer humming along.

He ran up the stairs to his bedroom to discover that all of the dirty clothes that had piled up for the last three days, had disappeared from the floor. But the curly-haired cleaning elf was nowhere to be found.

"Cristina?" he called out and got no reply. He was puzzled by her absence.

He went back down the stairs, sat in the living room and waited for her. Half-an-hour later, he heard the click of the key in the lock. His girlfriend had two bags in her hand from the Thai food place.

"You brought food? What's the occasion?" he asked, with a beaming smile.

"Just to say that I am sorry," she said, as she put the bags on the dining table.

"Sorry about what?" he asked, laughing.

"You were right. This place was becoming a pigsty. The smell from the dirty clothes was driving me insane and I could never find a clean cup. I never realized how much Meredith did for me, when we lived together. I have decided that I will now pick up after myself," she said.

"Thank you," he said. "We are a couple, living together, now. We have to start sharing responsibilities for this place. I just want you to do your part to help keep our home clean."

He watched as she put out the food on their plates.

"By the way, did the last three days prove that I don't have OCD?" he asked, triumphantly.

"Oh, come on, I know it was killing you," she said. He sat down next to her at the table to eat.

"Yeah, it was killing me but I held out. But truth be told, I was coming home to clean this evening but you beat me to it," he admitted.

"Yeah, a clean house is nice and smells good," she concurred. "I am going to do my part to keep it clean but you have to promise me that you are not going to freak out if I leave a dirty glass in the sink, once in a while."

"Agreed," he said, as he leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I really do appreciate reading all of them. Thanks for your thoughts.**


	18. Chapter 18 Dinner at the Hunts

**A/N: Another light chapter to brighten our dark days.**

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><p>He looked at her over the breakfast table, wondering how to broach the subject. She caught him, looking at her. He seemed like he wanted to say something.<p>

"Yes, what do you want to tell me?" Cristina said, as she munched on her toast.

Owen let out a sharp breath, "I think it is time you meet my mother."

She nearly choked on her piece of toast. She coughed and spluttered, before grabbing her glass of juice to help her get that toast down.

"Your mom?" Cristina was a little wary. "Moms don't usually like me all that much."

"She'll like you. Don't worry about it but I really do think that it is time," he said. "We are in a committed relationship. We live together. You're important to me and I want to introduce you to the other most important person in my life."

"Will she say something about my age? My jobless status? My lack of accomplishments?" she asked. "After all, all I have done is gone to school for most of my life."

"That won't matter. She will understand," Owen encouraged. "I will ask her if we can come over."

"Will she compare me to Jen?" Cristina asked. "Cool, sophisticated Jen from New York with the high-flying corporate job."

"My mom only met Jen once, when she came to New York for a visit," Owen said. "It was pleasant enough. She did say that she didn't think that Jen wasn't the one for me."

"Oh, my God, she'll probably say that about me, too. I am doomed," Cristina said, throwing her hands up in the air.

"No, you're not. She knew that Jen wasn't the one for me because she knew I wasn't crazy about her. She knew it before I knew it. I loved Jen but I wasn't in love with Jen. Took me a while to see it because I was just going through the motions. I didn't care to work at the relationship, anymore. My mom could see how I was feeling. I guess moms do know what's best for their kids," he said.

He continued, "But she'll see that it is different with you. She will see how I feel about you."

"Okay, if you say so," she said. "When are we going to see her?"

"I will call her and ask if she can have us over for the weekend. When I moved back here, she wasn't all that well but she has improved, tremendously, since then. She is almost back to normal and for that, I am very grateful," Owen said.

"The entire weekend?" Cristina was not amused. She would be under the microscope for two whole days by a woman she didn't know.

"Well, I would like to spend some time with my mom because it has been a while. You see my love life was heating up and I needed to ensure that it was a stable, committed relationship before I introduced that person to my mother," he said, going over to her side of the table and kissing her on her nose. "And it won't be for the entire weekend. We will go on Saturday night for dinner, stay over and spend Sunday with her."

"Ohhhhh," she groaned, not looking forward to it.

* * *

><p>On Saturday evening, she stared at her closet. She had to figure out several outfits to wear for her overnight stay. First, there was the dinner outfit where she would meet Mrs. Hunt, then there was a church outfit and then, a pretty but casual outfit for the Sunday family lunch, where members of Owen's family was expected to descend on his mom's house. She felt overwhelmed. First, she chose a pale pink suit for her church outfit, then a pretty, yellow sundress for her Sunday lunch outfit and a navy blue dress for the dinner. She packed away the suit and the sundress into her overnight bag, along with her pjs, underwear, shoes and toiletries.<p>

Owen came in to the bedroom, opened a small suitcase and just started tossing clothes in it. He zipped up the bag. "That should do it," he said. She was shocked. Here she was, staring at the closet for the last 45 minutes and he just comes in and tosses everything in his bag in five minutes flat.

"I am nervous," she said, as she wrung her hands. She had had some really bad experiences with her previous boyfriends' relatives.

Her first boyfriend's uncle kept asking her deeply personal questions all night, then there was another boyfriend's mother who gave her the third degree about her religious beliefs. Of course, one could not forget the boyfriend, whose dad who insisted that women should stay at home, once they got married. Those boyfriends never lasted and she knew one of the reasons was that she couldn't stand their families.

She hoped she could at least tolerate Mrs. Hunt and that the woman liked her. Mrs. Hunt didn't have to love her, just like her, she thought. She loved Owen more than anybody else and it would be a tremendous pity if she and Mrs. Hunt did not get along.

"Let's get changed. I am excited for you to meet her," Owen said. They both got changed into their chosen clothes. Cristina stared at herself in the mirror; her make-up was soft, tasteful and natural. She brushed her curls and fluffed them out a bit.

She turned to him. "How do I look?" she asked, anxiously.

"Beautiful, as always," he said, as he kissed her on the nose. He picked up their bags to carry them out to his vehicle. Cristina took a final look at herself before heading down to meet him in the SUV.

Their drive over to his mother's place was silent. Cristina was lost in her thoughts and Owen reached over and squeezed her hand. "It's going to be okay," Owen said. As they went up the walkway to Mrs Hunt's house, Cristina could swear that her knees were shaking. She really wanted Mrs Hunt to like her because she loved Owen so much.

He rang the doorbell and it was only two minutes, when the door was opened by a woman with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. "Owen," she said, kissing her son on the cheek. "And this must be Cristina." Louisa Hunt knew that this girl was important to Owen because it was very rare that he brought home the women he dated. She knew his college girlfriend, Amanda, his New York girlfriend. Jen and now, this girl. She looked quite young, Louisa thought. Owen had mentioned that she was a doctoral student. This one was far younger than any other girlfriend he had ever brought home.

"Very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said, putting out her hand to shake the older woman's hand.

"No, no, dear," Louisa said, kissing the girl on her cheek instead. "Come on inside."

It was a very homey, comfortable house. There were lots of pictures around – a lot of them were of Owen and his siblings. It appeared that Owen had two brothers and he was the youngest. Cristina looked around curiously at all of the photos. Owen followed her gaze and hoped that his mother did not have any embarrassing photos of him on display.

"Well, dinner is ready. Why don't we all just head to the dining room?" Louisa said, leading the way. Cristina followed her with Owen, just behind.

"Mom, what a spread," Owen said, appreciatively.

"Well, you know, it has been a long time since I entertained. I wasn't up to it, when I got sick. But now that I am feeling much better, the entertaining is again going to start in this house. Even better, your brothers and their families are coming tomorrow. That hasn't in a long, long time," Mrs. Hunt said. "So you're ready to fire up the barbecue pit, tomorrow."

"Yup," Owen said. "Reminds me of the good old days when Dad was alive and us three boys used to tear around the place. Jeremy and Sheldon's kids will be running around, tomorrow, just like we did."

As soon as Owen mentioned his brothers' kids, Cristina knew that his mother would give her the once-over, checking to see if she was proper breeding material to bring future Hunts into the world. Cristina pretended not to notice. She was used to mothers looking at her in that light.

The dinner went pleasant enough. Owen's mother asked her questions about her family, what she was doing at school, things she liked to do. It was clear she was seeing how well she would be able to fit in their family. In turn, Mrs, Hunt rewarded Cristina with embarrassing stories of Owen's childhood. Owen just kept getting redder and redder with all of his shameful childhood secrets revealed. Cristina laughed, heartily because she could never imagine her professor boyfriend up to his hijinks as a child.

Eventually, Cristina knew the question about children would come up. "So, Cristina," Louisa started. "Are you interested in having children?"

"Yes, eventually, when I am better settled in a career," Cristina said, honestly.

"How old are you now?" Louisa asked.

"I just turned 25," Cristina said. She looked across at Owen for some help. Maybe he could deflect the questions. Owen was avoiding her stare and seemed more intent on focusing on his dessert.

"That's a good age to start having kids. You're young and able to run after them. You shouldn't leave it for too long. By the time I was 26, I already had my three boys," Louisa said. "Owen's brothers have lots of kids. Jeremy, my oldest, has five children and Sheldon, the middle one, has four. Owen is the baby of the family and he should be looking to settling down and having a family, soon."

Cristina was silently screaming on the inside. Did this woman really think that she was going to pump out five kids from her body? Mrs. Hunt was really out of her mind. She again looked at Owen for some help. He was still focused on his dessert and having a second piece of pie to go with his coffee.

Cristina answered, "Well, I don't think I am ready to have children as yet, Mrs. Hunt. I have to finish my degree and see if I can get a position at a school somewhere. Who knows where I will end up?" She deliberately threw in that last comment for Owen, who looked up, immediately. Let him feel a little uneasy about the idea that she may not be around, she thought.

"Oh," Mrs. Hunt said. "Before I forget, about sleeping arrangements tonight, Owen, you can sleep in your old room and Cristina can sleep in the guest room."

Cristina grinned in glee. Let him suffer, she thought. Owen's face had a look of horror.

"Mom, you do know that Cristina and I live together, so there is no need to put us in separate bedrooms," Owen said.

"Yes, I do know that, son. But you are not married and I am old-fashioned that way," Louisa said. "Humor me, son. Cristina, let me show you to the guest room. You can put your overnight bag in there." The woman got up to usher Cristina down the hall to the guest room. Cristina looked back at Owen and grinned at him.

It was a very nicely-decorated room with a queen-sized bed in there. She had her own bathroom, which was a major plus.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said, with a beaming smile. "I will be very comfortable here."

"You're welcome. I trust you will have a good night," Louisa said, as she left.

Cristina changed out of her dress, took a quick shower and changed into her nightclothes. She went to the bedroom door and locked it. Knowing Owen, she knew he was going to try and get in there. There was no way he was going to get in her bedroom, especially since he did not help her out with the children question, when she was being grilled by Mrs. Hunt.

She lay on the bed, switched off the light and waited for him. She knew he was there, when he started jiggling the doorknob.

"Let me in, Cristina. Why is your door locked?" she heard him say, as he jiggled the doorknob once again.

She started to giggle.

"I can hear you laughing at me, Cristina," he said. "Let me in."

It was then Cristina heard another voice. "Owen, what are you doing?" Louisa asked.

"Um, I am just wishing Cristina good night," Owen said.

"Well, okay, then. Wish her good night and go to your room," Louisa said.

"Good night, Cristina," Owen dutifully said. She could hear his feet shuffling down the hall to his room.

She snickered in the dark, laughing at her boyfriend's expense.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thanks for your comments. I ****enjoy reading them.**


	19. Chapter 19 Meeting the family

Cristina woke up from a very restful night's sleep. She was a little startled by her strange surroundings but then she remembered she had stayed over at Mrs. Hunt's house. She giggled when she thought about Owen trying to get into her bedroom, last night and then being caught by his mother.

She got up, brushed her teeth, took a shower, steamed her pink suit to get out the wrinkles and got dressed quickly. She headed to the kitchen for breakfast, where early bird risers Mrs. Hunt and Owen were already there, having their morning coffee. They were already dressed for church.

"Good morning, Cristina. My, you look pretty in your pink outfit," Louisa said. "Doesn't she?"

Stone-faced, Owen merely nodded. Cristina could tell that Owen was still peeved that he was locked out of her bedroom, last night. But she thought he totally deserved it, given that he refused to help her out when his mother was giving her the third degree on the children question.

If he was going to be like this, she could be like that, too, she thought. Louisa poured out Cristina a cup of coffee and offered her some eggs and ham with toast. It was very tasty and Cristina filled up, quickly. She finished up her breakfast and washed up her dishes, in a jiffy.

"I guess we should be on our way. We have a new priest, Fr. Flanagan. He gives a rather dynamic sermon and the church has always been known to fill up quickly on a Sunday morning, since he came," Louisa said. They headed out to the SUV and Owen opened the front passenger door for Cristina. She passed it straight and went into the back seat. Mrs. Hunt got into the front seat, oblivious to the snub that her son had just received from his young girlfriend. As he reversed out of the driveway, he gave Cristina a deadly glare. She, in turn, gave him, in return, the sweetest smile she could muster.

At church, they hurried to make sure that they got seats in the last available pew. Cristina went in first, Owen was going to go in next but his mother cut in front of him and sat down next to Cristina. He was then forced to take the outer end of the pew. He was starting to feel that this weekend at his mother's was definitely not working out in his favor. Cristina looked at him and she could see it in his face that he was miserable. She felt bad because she knew she had contributed to his misery.

The Mass did lift Owen's spirits a little bit. He had not been to church in a long time and to be honest, he was a lapsed Catholic. Fr. Flanagan was an Irish-American priest with grey hair and bright blue eyes; his jovial exterior hid the fact that he was a dynamic orator. His sermon did, indeed, make Owen feel better about everything. At the end of the Mass, the priest stood at the entrance of the church, shaking hands with parishioners.

"Louisa," Fr. Flanagan said. "So good to see you. And who are these fine young folk with you?"

"This is my youngest son, Owen and his girlfriend, Cristina," Louisa said, introducing the couple.

"My, my, they make a handsome pair. Does this mean we are going to hear wedding bells very soon in our church?" Flanagan asked, his eyes twinkling. "You know I love conducting a wedding ceremony."

"I don't know about that, Father," Louisa said, with a smile. "You will have to ask them. I am rather interested in the answer myself."

Cristina answered, quickly. "Not right now, Father. I still have to finish school and get a job." Nobody was going to marry her off, that quickly, she thought. Owen looked at her as he processed her answer. It had occurred to him the night before that he and Cristina were at two different places in their life, when she had answered his mother's questions on children. He hadn't intervened in saving Cristina from the interrogation because he was interested in finding out what were her thoughts about the children issue.

Now, that he heard her response to the priest, regarding getting married, it solidified his resolve to have a discussion with Cristina. That's because Owen was ready – ready to get married, settle down, buy a bigger house and start a family. It was clear that she was not even thinking about these things.

They drove back home in relative silence, except for his mother talking about getting ready for the lunch. It was going to be a potluck. Owen and his mom were going to grill the meats – chicken, fish, hot dogs and hamburgers. Owen's brothers (their wives, really) would handle the potato salad, the green salad, corn on the cob and the desserts and pies.

They arrived home and changed into casual clothes. Cristina took out her yellow sundress and got dressed. From her bedroom window, she could see Owen firing up the grill. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, which matched his eyes. She admired how his muscles showed up under the thin fabric of the cotton t-shirt. It was true – she was a goner for him. She decided she was going to be nicer to him. She ran out of the bedroom and went down to the grill.

"Do you need some help?" she asked. He looked around at her. "So you're talking to me, now? You didn't let me in your room last night. You didn't sit up front with me in the SUV and you didn't let me sit next to you in church."

"I plead guilty to the first two offenses but not the third. Your mother cut in front of you on that one," she said. "I apologize if you were upset."

"Hmmm," he said. "I am still upset but you can help, if you wish."

At that moment, there was a sudden flow of young children rushing past them. "Hey, Uncle Owen," a blonde boy around 10 passed him. He was followed by one child, then another, then another and then another. It seemed like a never-ending stream of children, running past them. It was clear that Owen's brothers and their wives had arrived.

"So that is the girl that Owen has brought home to meet us," Jeremy's wife, Paula said.

"Looks like Owen is robbing the cradle," Sheldon's wife, Georgia added. "Look at the tiny body on that one."

"Well, obviously it has not gone through the rigors of making kids like us," Paula said.

"Oh, please," Sheldon scoffed. "Neither of you were ever that tiny in the first place, even before you started making kids."

"You didn't have to be so mean and point that out," Georgia said. "We look like hippos next to that one. And look at those awesome thick, dark curls."

"I wonder how old she is," Jeremy said. "She looks like she could be one of his students."

"Probably is," Sheldon. "Young, hot and fresh. She's so small; I am sure Owen can pick her up with just one arm and throw her over his shoulder."

"Would you shut up?" Georgia said. "You're making us feel old and fat here."

"That girl looks like she's about 21," Paula said. "I can't even remember being 21, after having five kids."

"Yeah," Jeremy and Sheldon said together. They were both promptly hit on the arm by their wives.

"Owen!" Jeremy shouted out to his baby brother.

"Hey, guys," Owen said. He went and hugged his brothers, who used to tease him a lot, when he was a little boy. He hadn't seen them in quite a while, since they both lived in different cities. "Come, come, I would like you to meet someone." He led them across to where Cristina was sitting next to the grill.

"This is my girlfriend, Cristina Yang. These are my brothers, Jeremy and Sheldon and this is Paula, Jeremy's wife and Georgia, Sheldon's wife. And those nine screaming kids belong to them," Owen said.

"Well, if you're Owen's girlfriend and he brought you to meet us, you must be somebody special," Jeremy said, giving Cristina a hug. A tad too tightly a hug, his wife and Owen thought.

"Well, I am pretty sure we will be welcoming you in the family, some time in the future," Sheldon said, also giving her a hug. A little too lengthy a hug, his wife and Owen thought.

The two women politely kissed Cristina on her cheek.

"Very pleased to meet all of you," Cristina said. Both Sheldon and Jeremy had goofy grins as they stared at her.

"Well," Owen said. "Why don't you ladies get to know each other, while I get my brothers to help me out with the grilling?" He had to get his brothers away from staring at Cristina and making her feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, I think that is a good idea," Paula said. The three women went and sat under on a bench under the shade of a tree.

"So, Cristina, are you a student?" Georgia asked.

"Yes," Cristina said. "I am a grad student at Stanford."

"Hmmm," Paula said. "How old are you, may I ask?"

"Twenty five," Cristina said. She was not as young as Paula and Georgia had originally thought but she was still years younger than they were. Paula was 42 and Georgia was 40. They wondered if they would have anything in common with the young woman.

"So you and Owen met at school?" Georgia asked, wondering if Owen was making it a habit to pick up his students.

"Oh, no. We met at a bed and breakfast inn called Tulley's and by coincidence, we met again at the school. He was originally my professor but I changed to a different professor, when we became involved to avoid any conflict of interest," Cristina said.

"That's a good thing," Paula said. They chatted, finding out much as they could about the young woman.

The three men looked across at the women, chatting on the bench. "So you picked up a young hottie," Jeremy said, slapping Owen on the back. "Good for you."

"She's not that young. She is 25," Owen protested.

"25, Owen? That is like a lifetime away for Jeremy and me. Jer's 43 and I am 40," Sheldon said.

"Well, she is mature for her age," Owen said. "Best of all, she loves me and I love her."

"Love? You're in love. Baby bro is in love," Jeremy said. "So that means you're going to get married soon, right?"

"I want to but I am not sure that she is ready, as yet," Owen said.

"Aw, come on. How can she resist our little brother, who is so big and handsome and smart?" Sheldon said. "She'll come around, I am sure of it."

* * *

><p>It was a fun-filled afternoon for everyone. The kids all hung around Cristina, since she was the adult closest to their age. Jeremy's 18-year-old son Donald seemed to be crushing on Cristina. Jeremy noted his son kept staring at the young woman.<p>

"Watch out, Owen, you have competition, look at Donald, mooning over your girlfriend," Jeremy said, nudging his brother. "I wonder if she is interested in younger men."

"Oh, please, your son has nothing on me. I am obviously the better catch; he's still trying to get over his acne," Owen said.

"But he has youth and vigor," Jeremy said.

"He also has no money and no house; he only has an old beat-up car and is still living in his parents' house," Owen said. "That's not a catch, Jeremy. Besides, he has to answer to his uncle Owen if he tries anything on my girl." He watched across as Cristina allowed two of his younger nieces to braid her hair. They weren't doing a great job but she wasn't fussing. His three-year-old nephew sat in her lap. He was so pleased she seemed to be getting along well with his family. It really warmed his heart.

Later in the evening, after everyone had left, Owen and Cristina helped his mom clean up. When they were ready to leave, the older woman kissed Cristina on the cheek and gave her a hug.

"Now that you know where I live, you can come around anytime you feel like to visit. You don't need Owen to bring you here. You can pop in anytime." Louisa told the young woman.

"Thank you, that's kind of you to say that," Cristina said.

"It's not kindness, Cristina. I like you and I think you make my son happy," Louisa said.

"He makes me a lot happy, too," Cristina said. Owen put his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder.

"Okay, mom. See you. I will call you, later this week," Owen said, as he kissed his mother on the cheek.

As they drove away, Owen was very quiet. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Are you still mad about last night, about me locking you out of my room? That was your mother's house rule because we are not married."

"No, I am no longer mad. But I have been thinking. You have said some things this weekend and it is making me wonder a bit. Don't get me wrong, Cristina, I love you, I really do. But I keep wondering whether you and I have the same idea about where this relationship is heading. I need to ask you this. What is the future of this relationship?"

She blinked, a little stunned.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for your comments. I do appreciate reading them. Reviews help me to continue.**


	20. Chapter 20 The Accident

"What do you mean?' Cristina asked, after recovering from her initial stunned silence.

"I want to know where you stand on our relationship. Our future together or not together, if you see it like that. I am feeling a certain way right now and after hearing what you have said over the weekend, I really want to know how you see us," Owen said, taking a quick glance at her.

"I haven't given much thought, except for the immediate future," she said.

"Which is?" he asked.

"Well, I have one more year of school and then I am going to look for a job," she said.

"And where exactly are you going to look for a job?" Owen asked.

"I don't know. Academic positions can be difficult to find," she said.

"Have you looked at the Universities in our immediate area?" he asked.

"Yes, I have but that doesn't mean I am not going to look at other institutions, too. If I can't get a job in the area, then I may have to go elsewhere," she said. "I am just starting, so I have to take what I can get."

"Okay, so if you find a job somewhere far from Palo Alto, like on the other side of the country, where does that leave us? A long distance relationship, where we talk on Skype every night but we'll see each other like once per month, depending on our schedule. Is that what you want?" he asked.

"Well, I haven't really thought about it, much," she said. "I thought that when we come to that bridge, we would cross it."

"The thing is, Cristina, I am ready to take that next step in our relationship. We have been together for about a year, now. For me, you're the right person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I want to get married, have kids, settle down and buy a house for our family. That's what I want to do. That's why I didn't save you yesterday when my mom was questioning you about the children issue. I wanted to hear what you had to say," he said. "But it seems that you and I are on different pages when it comes to our future."

She was silent as they pulled up in front of their townhouse. He opened the door and they both went in.

She turned to him. "Do you mind if I think about this? You kind of sprung this on me and I am not sure what I want to say right now. I don't want to say something that I may later regret," she said.

"Okay, that's fine but I do want to talk about this, honestly," he said. She nodded and she went upstairs to their bedroom, where she took a long bath, brushed her teeth, before changing into her pjs. He came up, a little later to find her asleep on the bed. He took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, changed his clothes and got in next to her. He soon fell asleep.

But Cristina really was not sleeping. She just let him think she was sleeping because she really wasn't ready to talk to him. She got up from the bed and went into a different bedroom. She needed to think. She sat by the bench near the window and stared out at the stars. It was a clear night in Palo Alto and she could see all of the stars. She soon began to feel tired and slipped into the bed in the room and promptly fell asleep. She got up early the next day and went out for a ride on her bike to clear her head.

Owen woke up alone the next morning. "Cristina?" he called out but there was no answer. He got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face and went down the stairs. "Cristina?" he called out. Again, there was no answer. He saw her bike was missing. So, she probably went for a ride, he thought. He called her phone, only to hear it ringing from the dining room table, where she had left it, the night before. He guessed he had to wait for her to come back to decide what they were going to do for the day. It was a lovely summer day and he thought that maybe they could go driving and exploring. He decided to make breakfast; she would be hungry by the time she got back, he thought.

An hour passed; two hours passed. The breakfast had gone completely cold. Where the heck could she be, he thought. Was she so mad that he was questioning the state of the relationship? He started getting pissed because Cristina had pulled a disappearing act on him once before and he was wondering if this was going to be one of those times.

Cristina had gone out with the intention of just taking a cool morning ride. She was deep in thought as she pondered her future with Owen. It was clear that he didn't want to continue with their current status quo. He wanted to move forward. She hadn't reached a stage where she was ready to move forward. She still had a year of school and then, she would be ready to make decisions. But in the end, she still wanted to be with him. She was going to head back home and tell him that.

Her mind was a jumble of thoughts as she rode out into the street. She was so pre-occupied that she didn't hear the horn of the SUV in time. She looked up, as the SUV hit her and her bike, sending her flying in the air. It was probably seconds that Cristina was in the air but it felt much longer than that, as her single thought was how the blue the sky looked. She hit the ground with a heavy thud. Her mangled bike fell a couple of feet away from her; it was damaged beyond repair.

The man, driving the SUV, came out, "Oh, my God, the girl came out of nowhere," he yelled. A small crowd had started to gather.

"Call 911," a woman screamed as she bent down and looked at Cristina. Everyone immediately got on their phones and started calling the emergency number.

The woman asked, "Stay still. Help will soon be on the way," she said. Cristina could see the woman was talking to her but she couldn't quite make out she was saying. Everything hurt so much, she thought. She closed her eyes, wondering whether she was going to die.

The ambulance came, ten minutes later and the paramedics did an initial examination of her. Cristina opened her eyes.

"She's conscious," the blonde female paramedic said.

The dark-haired male paramedic said, "Looks like broken bones, head trauma and possibly, internal injuries." They got her in the ambulance. As she lay there in the back of the ambulance, Cristina tried to talk but no words would come. She wanted to tell the paramedic to call Owen. The woman said, "Don't try and talk, hon."

When they got her into the ER, the doctor in charge asked, "Is she a Jane Doe? She looks young, she is more than likely a student." The paramedic handed a resident a knapsack. "I checked her knapsack. She has a Stanford ID. Her name is Cristina Yang."

The ER attending yelled to the resident. "Call the school, see if you can get an emergency contact. That vehicle did a real number on this girl. We'll probably have to take her into surgery." The resident ran out of the room.

"Okay, Cristina, we're going to head to surgery and try to set your bones and fix your internal injuries and your head trauma. Do you understand?" the doctor said. Cristina blinked twice.

"Alright, then," he said. The resident rushed backed into her room. "Got on to the school. Her parents live in Portland, Maine. Her local emergency contact is Meredith Grey."

"Good grief, Maine. That's on the other side of the country. Call them, immediately and call the local emergency contact, Meredith," the doctor said. "We have to head into surgery now."

"Okay," the resident said, as he watched them rush away with the patient.

* * *

><p>Owen was at home, still wondering where Cristina was. He kept opening his front door but there was no sign of her. Seriously, she couldn't be this peeved, he wondered. He started to get worried.<p>

Then, his phone rang. "Cristina?" he said, as he answered the phone.

"No, Owen. It's me, Meredith," the voice on the other end, said.

"Oh, Meredith. Cristina isn't here right now. Have you seen her? She's been gone since early this morning on her bike and she left her phone home, so I can't contact her," Owen said. "Please tell me that you've seen her."

"That's why I am calling you," Meredith said, her voice breaking. "She has been in an accident. She was hit by an SUV."

"What!" Owen shouted. "Where is she?"

"She's at Fairview," Meredith said. "The hospital called me."

"You're her emergency contact?" he said. "Not me?"

"Well, she probably didn't get round to changing it. I am sure she is my emergency contact on record, too," Meredith said. "They also called her parents but I don't when they will get here, since they're coming from Maine."

"I'm leaving to go to the hospital, now," Owen said.

"I will see you there," Meredith said.

He hung up the phone, grabbed his jacket and headed out of the townhouse compound. He never thought that something like this would have happened. He drove off to the hospital, as fast he could, without breaking any laws.

He parked, ran into the emergency room to find out about Cristina Yang. The nurse checked her computer. "Ah, Cristina Yang. She's gone into surgery. I would suggest that you wait because there is nothing else you can do, right now."

"Thank you," he said, looking around and he spotted Meredith, trying to get a drink out of the vending machine. He went up to her, "Hey, Meredith." She turned and looked at him, her eyes were red from crying. She gave him a hug.

"She's going to be alright," he said, trying to soothe Cristina's best friend. It was strange; he and Meredith had never hugged or touched each other in any way before. The only thing that bound them together was their love for Cristina.

As they broke apart, Meredith said, "I just got here about five minutes ago. They told me she had gone into surgery and all we could do was wait. Derek's here with me."

They went to the waiting room, where the two professors shook hands. They only knew each other as colleagues and were not really friends.

Derek said, "So sorry that this has happened to your girl, Owen."

"Yeah, thanks," Owen said. He sat on a chair and rested his head in his hands. He knew the tears were coming and he didn't feel like crying in front of Derek and Meredith but he couldn't help himself. He loved her so much that he could not imagine his life without her. He had been so peeved with her, thinking that she had disappeared on him, again. Now, all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms.

After an hour and a half, a resident came out and spoke to them that the surgery was progressing as well as it possibly could, given the extent of her injuries. Another two hours passed. Derek had fallen asleep and Meredith was resting on his shoulder. Owen did not know what to do with himself. He had been pacing but he was driving other people in the waiting room crazy by his constant movement.

When the attending finally came out to speak to them, Owen could not read his face.

"Is she going to make it?" he asked, his voice cracking.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for your comments.**


	21. Chapter 21 Lost memories

The doctor looked around the waiting room. He looked at the three people waiting there. Clearly, none of these were blood relatives to the young woman.

"Are Cristina Yang's parents here?" he asked.

"No, not as yet," Meredith answered. "They are coming all the way from Maine, so it may take them a while to get here. I am her best friend, Meredith Grey. This is my boyfriend, Derek Shepherd."

"I am Owen Hunt," Owen said. "Cristina is my girlfriend and we live together."

"Well, okay then," the doctor said. "I am Dr. Jantzen and we have been operating on the young lady for several hours. She has had a brain trauma, broken ribs, broken arm, broken leg and internal injuries. She is a little fighter and she came through the surgery. We expect her to physically make a full recovery. However, with a brain trauma, we are never quite sure how it may affect her, so we will see when she wakes up."

"Thank you," Owen said. "When can we see her?"

"Well, she has gone into recovery and then she will be placed in her room," Jantzen said. Owen shook his hand, as the doctor left.

When they could finally see her, she looked so small and vulnerable in her bed. She had a huge bandage on her head, a cast on her left leg and another on her left arm. Meredith started crying, and put her head on Derek's shoulder. The tears were also coming down Owen's face. She looked so tiny and broken. He wished he could make it all better for her but he knew that he couldn't. He was just happy that she was alive.

"I will stay tonight," Owen said. "You and Derek can go home. It doesn't make sense we all be uncomfortable, here."

"Are you sure?" Meredith asked. He nodded. Meredith said, "You will call me as soon as she wakes up?" He agreed to do so. He watched Meredith and Derek leave. He knew it was going to be a long night, as he tried to get comfortable in an armchair in the room. He fell asleep, staring at her.

When he woke up the next morning, he had a pounding headache and terrible crick in his neck. He looked over at Cristina to find her staring back at him. "Hey, you're up," he said, caressing her cheek. She had a strange expression. He didn't understand why she was looking at him that way.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She spoke slowly. "I have some pain and a terrible headache. What happened? Can I have some water?"

He poured out a glass of water for her. He helped her by holding the glass, while she sipped at it. He smiled at her. "You were in an accident. You were riding your bike, when you got hit by an SUV," he told her.

"Are you my doctor?" she asked. If he hadn't been holding the glass tightly, he would have dropped it.

"Cristina, don't you know who I am?" he asked, fearful of what she was going to say next.

"I am sure you are a very nice man, but no," she said. It was at that moment, two people came rushing into the room. They both looked exhausted.

"Mom, Dad," Cristina called out. The diminutive Asian couple came in and they each gave their daughter a kiss. Her mother started crying, when she saw all of her daughter's injuries. Her father wiped away the tears, running down his face. They both hugged her as tightly as they could without hurting her. Owen stepped back and allowed her parents to have their time with Cristina.

Cristina's father finally took notice of him. "Good morning. Are you the doctor?"

"No, I am not the doctor. I am Cristina's boyfriend, Owen Hunt," he said.

"Ah, Owen," Cristina's mom said. At least somebody knew who he was, Owen thought.

"I am Helen and this is my husband, David," Helen said, offering her hand to Owen to shake.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Yang and Mr. Yang," Owen said.

"You never told me she had a boyfriend, Helen," David Yang said. He didn't know how his wife had kept this from him. He looked closely at the red-headed man. He seemed to be quite a few years older than his daughter.

"Yes, she has a boyfriend, David. She is 25 years old. She can't remain your little girl, forever," Helen chided her husband.

"So, Mom, you know who he is?" Cristina asked.

"What are you saying, child? You don't know your own boyfriend," Helen said. "Is something wrong with you?"

"I,,,,,,I just don't remember who he is," Cristina said. Just then, Dr. Jantzen came in.

"Ah, Cristina, you are awake! How are you feeling?" he said. "Are these your parents?"

"Yes," she said. "Are you my doctor?"

"Yes, I am Dr. Jantzen, I am one of the doctors, who operated on you. You did very well during the surgery. Are you feeling any pain?" he asked, as he started examining her.

"Yes, but manageable for the moment," she said.

"Are you having any other issues?" he asked.

"It seems I cannot remember my boyfriend," she said, pointing to Owen.

"Really? Well, sometimes, memory loss can happen with head traumas," Dr. Jantzen said. "It is probably only temporary."

"How long do you think it would last?" Owen asked, finding it very disconcerting that his girlfriend did not remember him. "Why is it that she remembers her parents but not me?"

"Well, it may be that only her recent memories have been affected," the doctor said. "I am not sure how long it will last."

"But we have been together for nearly a year," Owen said. "Has she forgotten the whole year?"

Cristina was shocked. Had she lost a whole year of memories?

"I will get neuro to come by and give her a check," Dr Jantzen said. "In the meantime, you have to rest, young lady. The nurses will tend to you but if the pain becomes unbearable, please have them page me."

"So tell me, Owen. Your name is Owen, right?" she said. Owen nodded.

"Was my roommate Meredith here?" she asked. Owen answered, "She was here last night with her boyfriend, Derek. But she is no longer your roommate."

"She isn't? Where do I live now?" Cristina wondered.

"You moved in with me, a couple of months ago," he said.

"I live with you? Whoa!" she said, shocked. Her father was shocked, too. His little girl was living with a man! Her mother was not. She already knew that. David Yang could not believe his wife knew all of this and didn't tell him.

"I know this might be a lot for you to take in," Owen said. "Since your parents are here, I am going to go home and come by later. I will bring some pictures of us. Maybe that will spark your memory."

"Okay," she said. He left that room with a heavy heart. He called Meredith to tell her that Cristina had woken up. "But there is one problem," he said.

"What is it?" Meredith asked, anxiously.

"She has some memory loss," Owen said.

"What? You mean she wouldn't remember me?" Meredith said, horrified.

"Oh, she remembers you. She just doesn't remember me," Owen said, quietly.

"I am so sorry, Owen," Meredith said, sympathetically.

"Yeah, me too," he said. He went back to his townhouse and lay on his bed. He hugged her pillow, which still had her scent on it. He wondered what would happen to them if she never remembered who he was. What would he do? He loved her so much and for her not to love him back was like a nightmare. He got up and found his camera and started downloading pictures on to his computer, printing selected pictures of them together at places they had visited. Surely, one of these would trigger a memory, he hoped.

He took a shower, changed his clothes, had a sandwich and headed back to the hospital. He found her alone in her room.

"Hey," he said. "How you're feeling?"

"Well, the painkillers are certainly working," she said. "Even though half my body is broken, I feeeeel happy."

"That's good," he said. "Where are your parents? I brought you some pictures. Maybe you will recognize something."

"Mom and Dad went to check in their hotel. They will be back later," she said. She looked at the pictures that he gave her. At least they proved he really was her boyfriend, she thought. But still, nothing clicked.

"Sorry," she said. "I don't remember."

"Keep them," he said. "You can keep looking at them and maybe, something will jump out at you."

"Okay," she said, putting the pictures on her bedside table. "So what do you do?"

"I am a professor at the business school," he said.

"Is that where we met?" she asked. The last boyfriend she remembered was that jerk from the law school, Preston Burke.

"No, we met before that at a bed and breakfast called Tulley's nearly a year ago. And then we met again at the school and became a couple, there," he said.

"And my advisor is still Dr Perkins?" she asked.

"No, Dr. Perkins went to Asia to do research. He got a grant and he left. I was your advisor for a little while and now, you're working with Professor Sloan," she said.

"Oh, okay," she said. A worried expression came over her face. "What about the research I did this year for my dissertation? I don't even remember what I did."

"Everything you have is stored on the computer and backed up by an external hard drive, too," he said. "Once you start reading it, you will be able to get back into it." He tried to reassure her. They both became silent. He so badly wanted to touch her because he nearly lost her.

"Can I hold you?" he asked. "Please." She was going to refuse because she didn't really know him but she saw the pleading in his eyes.

"Okay," she said. "You can lie on my right side. Everything seems to be broken on my left side." He eagerly got into the bed with her and lay next to her, his arm over her body. "Thank you," he said. She gave him a polite smile. They lay like that until they both fell asleep. They were still in that position, when her parents came back, a couple of hours later. David Yang shook his head. He still hadn't gotten used to the fact that his baby girl had a boyfriend and was living with him. Helen gestured to him to leave them alone and they both left to grab some food in the hospital cafeteria.

It was Cristina who woke up first. She stared at him, admiring the contours of his face. He was a handsome man in a rugged kind of way. She wondered if he was good in bed. She chided herself for thinking such things, given that her body was not even in the appropriate state to be making love. He opened his blue eyes and found her looking at him. "What are you thinking?" he asked. She felt embarrassed by her thoughts. This man was a virtual stranger and here she was, wondering whether he was good in bed.

"I was just trying to remember you," she said. In the most animalistic of ways, she added in her mind.

"Any luck?" he asked. She shook her head. He was disappointed. He wondered how long this was going to last. "Cristina, I am not going to give up on you, on us. You will remember me."

"Okay," she said.

The weeks passed, as Cristina's body healed but not her memory. She still did not remember him and Owen was getting increasingly frustrated. She had now in the hospital for about four weeks. Her parents needed to go back to Maine and her father was making plans to have her transferred to another health care facility back in their home state. When Owen heard of the plans, he was alarmed. They were going to take her away from him and he could not face that. He decided to plead his case with Cristina's mother. He found her in the hospital cafeteria.

"Mrs. Yang, may I speak with you?" he asked, sitting at her table.

"Okay, Owen," she said. "What is on your mind?"

"I know you want to take Cristina back to Portland but I want to ask that you leave her here. I will take care of her," he said.

"You are a busy man. Doesn't school start back soon? How will you take care of her?" she asked.

"I will take some time off from school. This is very important to me, Mrs. Yang. She doesn't remember me. She knows who you are. She doesn't know who I am," he said. "If you take her away from me, she will never remember me. I can't lose her, Mrs. Yang. I love her very much. I just need her to remember me."

"Are you sure? I want to help you, Owen. You seem to be a good man. I am going to let you try," she said. "We will leave her here in your care."

"Thank you so much," Owen said, taking the woman's hands into his.

Cristina's parents left two days after. Cristina was released from the hospital two weeks later. He was excited to have her home. He wondered if she remembered where they lived.

"This is a lovely townhouse and a beautiful compound," she said, admiring the exterior of the place.

"We live here," he said. He took her upstairs to the master bedroom. "This is our bedroom," he said. She looked at it; it seemed unfamiliar. She was not quite ready to be sharing a bed with this man. Sharing a bed meant sharing other things and she was not sure she was able to do that.

"Owen, can I sleep in one of the other bedrooms?" she asked, hoping he was not offended.

"Yes, if you wish," he said, disappointed but not surprised. He showed her to another bedroom.

"Thank you," she said, as she went in and lay on the bed. "I am just going to take a little rest, now."

He went back to his bedroom, feeling dispirited. They could not continue like this. He knew what he was going to do. He had to expose her to an experience only he and she shared. Maybe, it would be the trigger that would set everything in motion. He hoped it would work. He started making plans to take her there.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thanks for your comments.**


	22. Chapter 22 Back to the beginning

He watched her across the breakfast table. She was munching on a piece of lightly buttered toast and reading the newspaper. They had now been home from the hospital for about six weeks. She still slept in the second bedroom and had not yet joined him in the master bedroom.

Since the accident, it had been three months of not being able to touch her in the way that he wanted. The last time he held her was the day after the accident when she allowed him to lie next to her in her hospital bed. The last time he kissed her and made love to her was before their visit to his mother's house. The last conversation he had with the Cristina that he knew, was the day they had come home from his mother's house about their future together. Now, he wasn't sure whether they even had a future. For now, they were just roommates, a situation that he found more and more difficult, as the weeks went by.

He had taken some time off from work to help her with her recuperation. After leaving the hospital, she had a number of follow-up visits with her doctors. She was finally declared fully healed – at least physically, so she didn't need to go back to the doctors, anymore. Owen felt it was time, now, to take her to the one place he hoped that she would remember who he was. If it didn't work, he didn't know what else to do.

"Cristina, I was thinking that we need to take a little break," he said, broaching the subject. "You're now fully healed and it would do me some good to get out of the townhouse."

"Okay, where would you like to go?" she asked.

"I want to go back to Tulley's, the inn where we first met," he said, hoping that she would agree to that.

"Tulley's? You know I don't remember it, right?" she said, cocking one eyebrow.

"Yes, I know that. I just want to go back there," he said, firmly.

"I know what you're trying to do, Owen. I know you're hoping that us going back there is going to trigger something for me," she said. "But you know that there is no guarantee of that."

"I know this but I have to try. I want you to come back to me. I want you to remember what I was to you. I want you to remember that you love me," he said, his voice breaking. He said it with all of the pent-up emotion that had been building in him over the last three months.

She felt sorry for him because he was grasping to anything he could of the Cristina she was.

"Okay," she said. "If it means that much to you, Owen. I may not be the same as I was before but I really do like you. You're good and kind and you take amazing care of me."

"I do it because I love you, Cristina. I just want you to remember that you love me, too," he said, a little sadly.

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><p>They were going to spend two nights at the inn. They set off early Friday morning because it was a long drive. Cristina was starting to feel sleepy. Even though she was much better, she still got tired. She pushed back her seat and promptly fell asleep. Owen looked at her and smiled. He stopped the vehicle and found a blanket at the back of the SUV. He covered her with it, so she wouldn't get cold. Then, he resumed driving again. She didn't wake up until they arrived at the inn.<p>

"Hey, wake up, we're here," he shook her gently. She opened her eyes and stretched. "We're here? Great," she said. She wondered where that blanket came from. She folded it and placed it on the backseat, then unbuckled herself. Owen opened her door for her. She liked that about him. He was always a gentleman. He was such a great guy. She wished she remembered him.

"It's lovely," she said, taking a look around.

"Yes, it is. I started coming here when I was a child," he said. "So this is where we met, right on the porch. I was sitting right there on that chair when you and Meredith arrived. I took notice of you, immediately. I called you Raven because of your dark hair. That day, we watched the sunset together."

"We did? Did I say anything?" she asked, wanting to know.

"Nothing beyond the pleasantries," he said. "But we did share the beauty of the sunset, together. That was our first meeting."

"That sounds lovely, actually," she said. They stepped into the inn, with Owen carrying in their bags.

"Hello, Owen. It's so great to see you," Mrs. Tulley said. "And Cristina, too. You're still together. I am really pleased because it is here where you met and you're still together." The old woman beamed at the couple. Owen smiled back but there seemed to be little recognition on Cristina's face.

"Don't you remember me, Cristina, from your last visit here a little more than a year ago?" Mrs. Tulley asked, a little puzzled.

"Mrs. Tulley, Cristina was in an accident and suffered some memory loss. That's why I brought back here to the place we met. You see, Cristina doesn't remember me or anything from the past year," Owen admitted with a sad tone in his voice.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Mrs. Tulley said. "I hope, Cristina that you have a lovely stay here."

"Thank you, Mrs. Tulley. The inn is beautiful," Cristina answered, smiling.

"Well, here is your key, Owen. Same room as always. 301," Mrs. Tulley said, handing over the key. She watched as the young couple ascended the stairs. She felt really sorry for Owen because it was hard to imagine a situation where the person that you love, had no recollection of you. She hoped that the stay at the inn would help them.

Cristina and Owen got up to the third floor, where he opened the door to the room with the old-fashioned key. As she stepped in, she realized there was only one bed.

"There's one bed," she said.

"Yes, I know. We can share the bed, it is a king size bed so we have lots of room. I am not going to try anything," he said. She looked at him and nodded. "I know, Owen, I know I can trust you," she said.

"Thank you," Owen said. "Do you need to freshen up? We are going to have lunch."

"Okay, I probably look like a mess since I have been sleeping in the car for the last two hours. I will meet you downstairs in the dining room," she said, heading to the bathroom.

"No, you don't," he said, giving her the once-over. "You always look beautiful."

"Thank you, kind sir," she said, poking her head out of the bathroom, as she gave him a huge grin.

"Okay, meet you downstairs," he said, as he left the room.

He ordered the soup of the day and grilled chicken sandwich for Cristina. He ordered spaghetti and meatballs for himself. She joined him about 10 minutes later. He watched as she came towards him, her curls bouncing. She always took his breath away.

"Hey, ooh, soup and sandwich. How did you know what I would order?" she asked, smiling happily at him.

"I guess it is because I know you," he said. They had a lovely lunch, where they chatted about the inn and its history. He told her all of the hijinks he would get involved in, while staying at the inn with his parents and brothers.

"Have I ever met your family?" she asked. It pained him that she would ask that question because it was right after that meeting, she had got into the accident.

"Yes, you have. You met my mom, my brothers Jeremy and Sheldon and their wives, Paula and Georgia. We had a barbecue at my mom's house during the summer and we were there. And you met my nine nephews and nieces. My oldest nephew, Donald, has a crush on you," he said.

"Ah, that sounded like we had a fun time," she said, laughing.

"Yes, we did," Owen said. He often felt guilty that it was because of that visit, they had their "discussion" and he knew she had probably had gone out on her bike to think. If she hadn't gone out on her bike, she wouldn't have gotten into the accident and they wouldn't be in this situation, right now. He sighed, it was no use going over the "would haves, should haves" of what had happened. He knew that it was not his fault but it didn't make him feel any less guilty.

After lunch, they decided to go exploring the nearby town. They passed in front of the jewelry store where he had purchased the charm bracelet she owned. They stepped into the store and he bought her a necklace. She told him that he didn't have to do it but he said he wanted to get it for her. By the end of the evening, they had dinner and dessert in a cozy Italian restaurant.

That night, they lay on opposite ends of the bed. He wished he could hold her. She was so close and yet so far away. Soon, exhaustion from their long day kicked in and they both fell asleep. The next morning, he found himself in the middle of the bed, with Cristina next to him. Her head was resting on his chest and he had his arm around her. They had fallen into their familiar sleeping position. This was the closest they had been, physically, in three months. He reveled in the warm familiarity of the position, as he wrapped both of his arms around her. He lay like that for about five minutes, until he started feeling her stir awake.

She opened her eyes and realized that her head was on his chest. She looked up at him and saw his blue eyes, staring down at her. She raised her head and moved away from him. "I am so sorry, Owen. I don't know how I got into that position," she said, a little horrified.

"Don't be sorry. This is how we used to be when we slept in the same bed," he said. "It felt good to have you next to me. I miss it."

She looked at him. "I wish I could remember you. I really do. You seem to be a wonderful man. I keep wondering what we shared over the last year. I can see why I loved you," she said. "I want to remember you."

"Thank you," he said, with a small smile. "Do you want to use the bathroom first?"

"No, go ahead," she said. He got in the bathroom and she could hear the shower going. He was singing and to her surprise, he had a very good voice. He came out of the bathroom, dressed only in a towel. She was a little surprised that she found herself, staring and admiring his muscled torso. He chuckled when he caught her ogling him.

"You know, Cristina, I don't mind changing in front of you because I know you've seen me before but I don't know if you're ready for it," he said, the mirth of his voice could clearly be heard.

"Sorry, sorry for staring," she said, as she got up to go to the bathroom. "Your bod is HOT!" They both laughed. He changed his clothes and headed out for a walk. He thought that she should be ready to get breakfast by the time he got back.

Cristina came out and saw that he had left. She put on her bra and underwear and was about to use her deodorant when she dropped it and it rolled under the bed. "Oh, good grief," she said, as she tried to reach it. Her arm was too short to reach it. She had no choice but to go under the bed to retrieve it. As she shimmied her way under the bed, she suddenly felt a sense of _déjà vu_, like she had been there before, under this very bed. It was overwhelming, this feeling of recognition. She lay there as she remembered the last time she was under this bed. She didn't know why she had been under this bed but she definitely knew she had.

Owen came back into the room. "Cristina," he called out. She answered, "Here."

"Where are you?" he asked, checking the bathroom.

"Under the bed," she said. He bent down to look at her under the bed in her underwear.

"What are you doing under there?" he asked.

"My deodorant rolled away and went to get it. But something exciting has happened. For some reason, I remembered being under this particular bed. I don't why I was under this bed but I definitely know that I was," she said, excitedly. She shimmied her way out from under the bed. She was so excited; she didn't seem to realize that she was still only dressed in her underwear. He didn't mind seeing her that way.

"I remember, Owen. I remember. Now why was I under that bed?" she asked.

"You were hiding from me. On the night of the day we met, we had a power outage and you came into my room, thinking it was your room. We slept in the same bed. The next day, you realized your mistake and hurried out of the room, forgetting your pair of jeans. You came back the next day and broke into my room to get them back. But unfortunately for you, I came back before you could leave and so, you hid under my bed," he said, laughing hard.

"But I knew you were there because I could smell your green apple shampoo. I pretended to go to sleep and you crawled out from under there but I caught you. You were under that bed for a long time," he said, happily. "I am ecstatic that you remember being under that bed. Maybe this is the breakthrough we're looking for."

"Don't get so excited, Owen. I remembered being under the bed but not why. It's a start, though," she said. "Well, I am hungry. Can we go get breakfast now?'

"I think you should put some clothes on, first," he said. She realized her state of undress. "Oops," she said, as she dug into her suitcase for some clothes. She changed into a jeans and a sweater and slipped on a pair of sneakers. She had just changed in front of him and she didn't feel it strange that he was right there, he noted. He felt good about that.

"Let's go, Owen," she said. "Alright," he said. She slipped her hand into his, intertwining her fingers with his. He was surprised; it was the first time Cristina had consciously initiated contact with him. It made him happy, as he squeezed her hand to let her know how he felt.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for all of your comments.**


	23. Chapter 23 The Cabin Part Deux

They eagerly went down for breakfast because they were both very hungry. The inn was serving a hearty meal as always. Mrs. Tulley came over and poured some coffee for the couple, before digging into the pocket of her apron.

"Owen, here is the key to the cabin," Mrs. Tulley said. "These are the keys for Lorenzo's vehicle. It might be better to drive, rather than walk to the lake. Not that you can swim in the lake, anyway, it is a little too cold, right now but it is still pretty."

"Thanks," Owen said, tucking the keys into his pocket. "Can we get a couple of sandwiches to take with us? Also, are there supplies at the cabin?"

"Yup, I got Cook to make up those sandwiches for you. And yes, there are supplies at the cabin, if you're staying overnight," she said.

"Yeah," Owen said, looking at Cristina. "We're going to stay overnight." Mrs. Tulley smiled at him, knowing that he was searching for anything that would trigger his girlfriend's memories of him. She walked away, hoping he would be successful.

"What cabin?" Cristina asked. "Sounds interesting."

"Well, the last time we were here, we went for a hike to the lake but then we got caught in a rainstorm and had to seek refuge in the cabin," he said. "We stayed the night there."

"Hmm," she said.

"What do you mean, 'hmm'?" he asked.

"Well, if we spent the night there, did things happen?" she asked, grinning.

"Whatever do you mean?" he said, chuckling. "I am not going to tell you anything. I am going to take you there and see if you remember anything."

"Okay, fair enough," she said. "I hope I do remember."

They started diving wholeheartedly into their breakfast. She watched her as she attacked her meal with gusto. Her appetite was back. That was a good thing, he thought. He had been very worried about her during her recovery from the accident and he was glad that she was physically whole once again. But without her memories, she was not complete.

He wondered if it mattered to her at all if she remembered. He knew it certainly mattered to him that she remembered. Her déjà vu moment of being under the bed was a great sign. Maybe the cabin would do the trick. He remembered their night there and how they made love for the first time. He smiled at the thought. She looked at him, smiling to himself. He was obviously remembering something. She suspected that the cabin was where they first consummated their relationship. She wasn't 100 per cent sure but she believed that was the reason why the cabin was so important to Owen and for him to take her there. She wished, for his sake, that her brain would heal itself but it just wasn't so easy. The doctor had said it would take time and maybe, Owen was running out of patience, she wondered. Maybe if she didn't remember, he wouldn't want to be with her, anymore. It was very hard for him, she knew.

After they drained the coffee from their cups, Owen said, "Well, let's pack what we need and we should head out there in a little while." An hour later, they were both ready to go on the way. Owen collected the sandwiches from Mrs. Tulley. "Good luck, Owen," she said. "Thank you, Mrs. Tulley. I need all the luck I can get," he said, giving the older woman a kiss on the cheek.

He met Cristina on the porch. She had cutely bundled up with a hat, sweater, scarf and a jacket. It was now November, three months after her accident. "Ooh, feel that chill in the air," she said. "Brrr."

"Yes, there is a chill. When we get to the cabin, I will build a fire and it will warm that place right up," he said.

"I think we would have to snuggle up next to each other tonight to keep warm," she said.

"I don't think I have any problem with that," he said, smiling. "Okay, let's get on our way. There is Lorenzo's truck." He helped her climb up to get in the passenger seat of the truck before getting in on the driver's side.

"I am rather excited," she said, happily. She took his hand and squeezed it. He kissed her hand. He felt that they had made some progress in making this trip. Since she remembered being under the bed in their room, she seemed more amenable to the fact that they were actually in a relationship. She was more willing to initiate physical contact with him and for that, he was grateful. He looked across at her and stared at her lips; he hadn't kissed her on the mouth in three months. He so badly wanted to taste her lips again.

The drive to the lake was rather enjoyable. There were still some fall colors evident in the trees and the scenery was beautiful. When they got to the lake, they could only admire its beauty because it was way too cold to go in. Cristina sat on a log and was silent. She seemed to be just taking it all in. He sat next to her on the log.

"Are you hungry? Do you want a sandwich?" he asked, digging into his knapsack.

"Yes, please," she said. He handed her the ham and cheese sandwich and poured her a cup of hot coffee from the thermos flask. He knew why he gave her the ham and cheese sandwich because that was what she ate the last time they were there.

As she munched on her sandwich and drank her coffee, she stared at the water. "Owen, don't get too excited," she said. "But I remember something."

"What?" he asked, already excited.

"I lost my top in the lake," she said, her eyes shining.

"Yes, you did," he said. "You lost your bikini top and you were so embarrassed. You made me turn away so I couldn't watch you come out of the water."

"It was red," she said, excitedly.

"Yes, yes, yes," Owen said. "Gosh, I just hoped that you would get some flashes of memory when we came up here. This is so good."

"I think so, too," she said. She finished off her sandwich and her coffee. She examined his handsome profile and finally decided to say what she was thinking. "Can I kiss you?" she asked him.

"Yes, please," he said. "I have been wanting to kiss you for so long."

She reached over and took his face into her small hands. They started off, slowly, with some light pecks before launching into a full-on kiss. She felt the tingle start from the top of her head down to the tips of her toes. They were almost drunk with the taste of each other. It was like it was their first kiss and in a way, it was. As they broke away from each other, she said, "That was just awesome."

"Thank you," he said. "I thought it was rather lovely, too."

"I am sorry I waited so long to kiss you. Do you know how your body has muscle memory and activities that you haven't done in a long time just come right back to you? Like riding a bike?" she said, struggling to find the right way to describe how she felt.

"So kissing me was like riding a bike?" he said, chuckling.

"No, it just seemed so familiar and easy," she said. "That's what I am trying to say. It's like I never stopped kissing you. It felt like I have been doing it forever."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said, as he took her chin into his hand and guided her mouth towards his, once again. They continued kissing for about 10 minutes, when a cold breeze drifted from across the lake and made them both shiver.

"I think we better get to the cabin. I think sitting out here at the lake has achieved a lot for us," he said. He gathered up their stuff and put them back into his knapsack. He took her hand and helped her up into the truck. He got in on the other side and after 10 minutes of driving, they were at the cabin. He looked at her to see if there was any form of recognition on her face but there was not even a flicker.

"Wow, imagine this place out here," she said. "This is great."

"Yes, it is," he said. He parked the truck in front of the cabin, fumbled for the key in his pants pocket and opened the door. "Tada!" he said, revealing the interior of the cabin to her.

"This is very nice," Cristina said. "Who would have thought such a place existed out here?" She looked at the full-size bed, which was smaller than the king-size bed they had shared the night before. He gazed at her, hopefully. "Yes, we can share the bed, tonight," she said, answering his unspoken question. She knew that he would not try anything unless she wanted it. She trusted him fully.

He went immediately and found all of the lamps in the cabin and lit them. He also lit the fireplace to warm up the cabin. "It will get a little warmer soon enough," he said, watching her shiver in the chilliness of the cabin. "I will see what they have in the cupboards. Ah, let's make some soup," he said, as he discovered several tins of soup in the kitchen cupboards.

"That sounds good. Great for this weather," she said. "Any hot chocolate?"

"Yes, there is," he said, bringing out the tin of hot chocolate. "We'll have to use non-dairy creamer, though."

"That's okay," she said. "Anything to warm up my bones."

They spent the evening, drinking hot chocolate and having soup in front of the fireplace. They lay there, talking and holding each other, kissing in between. When it got late, he suggested that it was time to go to sleep, they each took turns in the bathroom, before changing into their night clothes. "Flannel pajamas are not sexy," Cristina muttered.

"I don't care. It just matters who's the person in the flannel pajamas," he said, as they settled down into the bed. They shifted into their familiar position with her head resting on his chest and his arm around her. They fell asleep soon after. In the middle of the night, Cristina woke up and breathed in the scent of the man next to her. There was something that could be said about pheromones, she thought. The scientists were definitely right about scent playing an important part in attraction. She buried her face in his chest and reached down to massage a certain part of Owen's anatomy.

He opened his eyes as he was starting to feel himself stand to attention. "What are you doing?" he said.

"As if you didn't know," she answered, her voice muffled against his chest.

"Well, I do feel a certain bit of my anatomy getting a lot of attention, here," he said, the mirth in his voice was plain to hear.

She lifted up her head. "I want you," she said, simply.

"Okay," he said. "That's all you needed to tell me." He pulled up her head so that their lips could meet in a crushing kiss. As she continued to stroke him, he reached under her pjs and panties to feel her clit, rubbing the nub to become swollen with desire. He slipped off her clothes so that she was naked before him, while he dragged off his pants and his shirt with as much haste as he could muster. She left a trail of alternating soft kisses and light nips on his chest as she went down on him.

As she took him into her mouth, he groaned. He watched as her lips encircled the tip of his cock while her small hands worked the length of his shaft. She sucked hungrily at the tip, before running her tongue along edge of the neck and then the length of his member, before returning to take in as much as she could in her mouth. He closed his eyes and just let her do whatever she wanted to him. He reveled in the sheer ecstasy that her mouth, lips and tongue were giving him. He couldn't help himself when he exploded in her mouth. It was such a sweet release – one that he had not had in three months. He stared down at her with lust, as she licked away the cum that was dripping from the side of her mouth. It was such a turn-on.

"Your turn," he said, as he pulled her upwards and he went down on her, feasting away on her sex, using his tongue to lick her nub while he penetrated her with his fingers. His tongue soon found its way into her as he greedily lapped up her juices. "Oh, God, Owen," she screamed. "Take me now."

He reached over on to the side of the bed and dug out a condom from his knapsack. She gave him a questioning look. "I wasn't being presumptuous," he said. "Just hopeful. Besides, I know you've not been on any birth control, since the accident."

"It's okay," she said. "It's not like you could go out there and fashion a condom out of a leaf."

"Oh, my God," he said, as he slipped the condom on. "That's exactly what I said the last time we were here and made love for the first time."

"This is kinda like the first time for us, again," she said.

"Yes, it is, baby," Owen said, as he thrust his penis into her with one swift movement. "Oh, God," she screamed. "Take me like you own me." She had said almost exactly those same words to him, a year ago. The thought made him happy.

"If that is what you want, that is what you're going to get," he whispered, ratcheting up the rhythm of his strokes, as he hammered into her.

She yelled, "That's it, baby." He lifted her legs, throwing them up on his shoulders as he rode her. Cristina's body shuddered in ecstasy, as she felt this man pounding into her. She could barely breathe as the pleasure took a hold of all of her senses. When she came, she moaned and screamed so loudly. He felt the exact moment that she came as her walls tightened on him. It was only then he would allow himself to release himself into her. He let himself fall on to her, breathing heavily. Neither of them could speak, until their breathing calmed down.

"How many more of those condoms do you have?" she asked, quietly. He couldn't stop laughing at her question. "About five more," he whispered back. "I guess that should be enough," she said. They both giggled as she rolled him on to his back.

* * *

><p>The next morning, they headed back to the inn. They left the cabin early so they could get back in time for breakfast. Mrs. Tulley was surprised to see them back so soon.<p>

"Was it a satisfactory night?" she asked Owen, as he returned the keys for both the cabin and the truck. Cristina was already in the dining room, awaiting her breakfast.

"Yes, it was, Mrs. Tulley. After breakfast, we are just going to check out and be on our way back home," Owen said.

"Did she remember anything?" Mrs. Tulley asked.

"Some things," he said. "But not everything. We are making progress."

After breakfast, they were soon on their way home to the townhouse. As soon as they arrived, Cristina tiredly trudged her way up the stairs. "I am going to take a nap," she said.

"Okay, I will just bring up the bags," he said. He cleaned out the SUV of all its garbage from the food they had eaten, while on the road. He then carried their bags upstairs. He went to the master bedroom and was elated to see Cristina curled up in the bed. Without saying a word, she had made the statement that she was once again ready to share his bed and his life. He gently covered her with a blanket.

He went into the second bedroom and quietly started moving Cristina's clothes back into his closet. His heart was full of joy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I really do appreciate reading all of them.**


	24. Chapter 24 The Holidays

Since their return from Tulley's, things were a lot better for Owen and Cristina. He didn't get the miracle he was hoping for but she had enough flashes to remember that he really had been part of her life. He felt that they could build on that.

She was now sleeping in his bed and subsequently, their lovemaking was now a regular part of their lives. He was happy to have her back in his bed. So much so that he would watch her sleep at night and marvel at how close he was to losing her. Once, she got up and caught him, staring at her.

"Stop doing that. It is creepy," she said.

"I can't help it. I just love that you're here," he said, curving around her so that their bodies spooned together.

"Owen, I have to tell you something," she said. "My parents want me to come home for Thanksgiving. They bought the ticket already."

He swallowed hard. He still had the fear that if she went home to Maine, she would never come back.

"Are you going?" he asked.

"Yeah, my two sisters and their husbands and their children are going to be there. If I didn't go, I would be the only one missing from the family gathering," she said.

"Okay," he said. "When do you leave?"

"On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. I have an early morning flight that day. Would you take me to the airport?" she said.

"Yes, of course, I will," he said, trying to stop his voice from shaking.

"Owen, don't worry. I am coming back to you," she said, turning around to kiss him. "I will be back."

On Wednesday morning at 6 a.m., they found themselves at the airport in San Francisco. He hugged her tightly as he dropped her off at the security line.

"Bye, Cristina. Have a great Thanksgiving. I love you," he said, as he held her face and kissed her.

"Bye, Owen. Tell your family hello when you visit them tomorrow," she said. "Have a happy Thanksgiving. Don't forget to pick me up on Saturday evening."

"Yes," he said. "I'll be here." He gave her one final deep, long kiss. He didn't care if people were watching them.

He left the airport, still not fully confident that she was coming back to him. After all, she hadn't said that she loved him since the accident. It was hard to get her to say it the first time, let alone now when she had so few memories of him.

He called his mother. She answered very sleepily, "Hello, Owen. Did you drop her off?"

"Yeah, mom, I am coming over now, so we can start our prep work for tomorrow," he said.

"Okay, son. I will make you breakfast when you get here," she said. He hung up the phone; at least his mind would be occupied by Thanksgiving preparations and not by the fact that he was already missing Cristina so much.

* * *

><p>Cristina woke up in her old childhood room. Her parents had left the room the same way it always was since she had gone to college when she was 18. It was still very teenager-like in its décor. There was still a poster of that boy band she used to adore on the closet door. That was so long ago, that the band had already broken up.<p>

Her sister Chantal and her husband Sendhil Mittal and their two girls, Anushka and Savita, had arrived last night. Her other sister Cecile and her husband Abel Rabinowitz and their baby, Jacob, were arriving this morning. She hadn't seen her sisters for some time, given that she had been living on the west coast for a while. Everyone else in the family was based on the east coast.

She heard the commotion downstairs. It was clear that Cecile and her family had arrived. She got up from her bed, ran into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and ran down the stairs. She was eager to see the new baby.

"Cecile," she called out to her sister. Her sister ran to her and hugged her. "Oh, Cristina, how have you been? I was so worried about you," Cecile said. Cecile was the second sister, while Chantal was the oldest. Cristina was the youngest of the three girls.

"I am okay, now. Memory is still a little fuzzy but I am doing alright," Cristina said. "Let me see the baby."

"Here he is," Cecile said. Baby Jacob, now six months old, had very dark hair and dark brown eyes. "He is beautiful, Cecile," Cristina said.

It was at this point that Chantal, Sendhil and their two noisy girls, Anushka and Savita, came downstairs. Anushka was four and Savita was two and they were both very fascinated by baby Jacob.

"Hey, Cecile. Abel," Chantal said as she hugged her sister. Her husband, Sendhil shook hands with Abel. Chantal took the baby from Cristina. "You have no experience with babies, Cristina. Just books," Chantal said, as she cooed away at her nephew.

"Let's go chat," Cecile said. Cristina was closer to her 28-year-old sister Cecile than her 30-year-old sister Chantal. They ran up to the bedroom they used to share when they were kids.

"So, tell me about your guy," Cecile said. "Mom tells me he is a handsome redhead."

"Yes, he is," Cristina. "He is actually very, very nice. He's kind, loving and generous. I just wished I remembered more about him."

"What has that been like? Being with someone that you can't remember," Cecile asked.

"Well, in the beginning, it was very odd. We lived in the same house, but slept in separate bedrooms. We were like roommates, except he knew everything about me and I didn't know a thing about him. Then, he took me to this inn, where we first met and I had a couple of flashes of memory. I was really excited about it but sadly, it was just flashes. But one good thing did come out of it, we consummated our relationship, once again," Cristina said with a grin.

"Oh, was it good?" Cecile asked. She was eager to find out all of the smutty details.

"It was damn good. Better than I expected. In fact, it was amazing. It was clear that I was hurting myself by not partaking in all of that good loving. So I am now back to sleeping in his bedroom and we're making progress. We're trying to rebuild a relationship," Cristina said.

"I am glad for you. Do you love him?" Cecile asked.

"I think I do but I am not ready to say it, as yet," Cristina said. "I am pretty sure I am going to say it one of these days."

Cecile hugged her. "Cristina, I hope everything works out for you. I just died on the inside when I heard what had happened to you. I am so glad you're alright," Cecile said.

"Yeah, me too," Cristina said.

Thousands of miles away on the other side of the country, Owen lay awake in his old bedroom. His brothers and their families would be arriving that morning. He looked at the clock – it was 4.23 a.m. Cristina would probably be up on the other side of the country where it was 7.23 a.m. He picked up his phone and dialed her number.

Her phone buzzed. She looked at the screen. "It's him, Cecile. Do you mind?" Cristina asked her sister.

"No, I am just going downstairs to see what my family has done with my baby," Cecile said. Her sister smiled as she closed the bedroom door, softly.

"Hey, Owen," she said. "How are you doing?"

"I am fine. Just thinking about you and missing you," he said. "I am sleeping in my old bed in my mom's house."

"Ah, that should bring back lots of memories for you," she said.

"Yeah, it does," he said. "So how is your family?"

"They're fine. I just met my nephew, Jacob. He is lovely, very dark hair and eyes," Cristina said.

When she said that, Owen felt a pang of anguish. He wanted his own babies but it seemed that it wasn't possible at the moment, as he was only now starting to rebuild his relationship.

"So, I guess it's happy Thanksgiving," he said.

"Yeah, happy Thanksgiving," she said. They didn't talk again for the weekend. He went to the airport at 6.30 p.m. on Saturday. Cristina's flight came in at 6.45 p.m. He watched the face of every passenger as they exited. Where the heck was she? His heart was in the pit of his stomach. Was she even on the plane? Was she coming back to him?

It was only when he caught sight of the dark, curly hair did he allow himself to breathe. She was the very last passenger. When she saw him, she leaped into his arms. He swung her around.

"You came back," he said, putting her down and burying his face in her hair.

"Yeah, I missed you. Why did you think I wouldn't come back?" she asked with a quizzical expression.

"Because I thought they might have persuaded you to stay, given that you still don't remember me, fully," he said. "That was my fear."

"I came back because I wanted to be with you," she said. "I…I…I…um…love you."

"What did you just say?" he said. "You love me? You love me!"

"Being separated from you made me realize how much I want to be with you. Even though I don't have full memory of you, I am inexplicably drawn to you," she said.

"Oh, baby," he said, as he took her face into his hands and kissed her. "Come on, let's go home. We can pick up some take-out on the way home."

"Can we get Thai?" she asked. "I have had too much turkey and stuffing to last me a lifetime."

"Anything you want," he said.

* * *

><p>They pulled up in front of Owen's mother's house for Christmas lunch.<p>

"Cristina, you have to help me with all of these Christmas presents," he said. He and Cristina had shopped till they dropped from exhaustion, the weekend before Christmas. They had to buy presents for his mom, his brothers, their wives and the nine grandchildren. That was a lot of shopping. Plus they had to get presents for each other.

They headed up the walkway, each of them burdened by the weight of the presents. Owen pressed the doorbell. "Mom, open this door, please."

Louisa opened the door. "Hello, baby boy. Merry Christmas," she said, kissing Owen on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Cristina," she said, kissing the girl on her cheek. She knew full well that the girl did not remember her at all.

"Hello, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said. "Pleased to meet you…again."

"It's alright, Cristina. I know," Louisa said. "Well, the rest of the family is already here. So put those presents by the tree and come join us at the table."

Owen and Cristina deposited their presents at the tree. He took Cristina's hand and led her to the dining room. Everyone stared at them, as they entered the room. They were all fully aware of Cristina's memory loss.

"Hello, Cristina," Jeremy said, breaking the ice. "I am Jeremy. Let me re-introduce everyone. This is my wife, Paula. My brother, Sheldon and his wife, Georgia. My son, Donald, my daughter, Tabitha and my niece, Teresa. Donald, Tabitha and Teresa are joining us at the adults' table this year. The rest of the children have their own table."

"Very pleased to meet everyone," Cristina said. Jeremy looked at his brother and wondered how he was coping. He did notice that Owen had a huge smile on his face. If it was him, he wondered if he could have coped if his wife Paula had no memory of him. He looked at Paula and squeezed her hand.

Owen pulled out Cristina's chair and waited for her to sit, before sitting in his own chair. Next to Cristina was Owen's nephew, Donald, the one who had the crush on her. Donald was rather pleased that Cristina was sitting next to him. He had turned 19, since he had last met her and noted that there was only a six-year age difference between the two of them. Owen looked at Donald's eager face and shook his head.

"Let's say grace," Louisa said. Everyone joined hands. Donald was beyond ecstatic, when Cristina slipped her small hand into his large hand. Cristina noted that they really grew them big in the Hunt family, as her tiny hands disappeared into the Hunt men's hands.

After grace was said, they all started to dig into the giant feast that had been prepared by Louisa, Paula and Georgia. The food tasted amazing, Cristina thought. Owen glanced at her and smiled because despite her small size, Cristina could put away a fair amount of food, almost as much as a guy. Paula and Georgia looked at her, enviously.

After lunch, everyone gathered in the living room to open presents. Cristina and Owen both received presents from the adult family members. Donald shyly handed over a gift bag to Cristina.

"For me? Thank you, Donald. I didn't expect this," she said.

"It's nothing much. It's just a hoodie from my college," he said. "I brought it up just for you."

Cristina took out the hoodie which said Pepperdine. "You go to Pepperdine. That's in Malibu. It must be beautiful, there."

"It is," Donald said. "You should come and see it."

"I would love to," Cristina said. "But you know I am a Stanford girl through and through. But I will wear your Pepperdine hoodie just because you gave it to me."

Owen watched the exchange between Cristina and Donald. He had to nip this in the bud. His nephew's crush was getting ridiculous, now. He went and sat next to Cristina on the couch, pulled back her hair and gave her two kisses on her neck. Donald immediately became flustered and muttered that he had to do something in the next room. Having achieved his desired goal, Owen got up to go to the kitchen. "Be right back, babe," he told Cristina. On his way to the kitchen, he was stopped by his brother, Jeremy.

"Did you have to do that to my son?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, he was trying to get my girl's attention, there. He has to realize that she is not a potential girlfriend. She is going to be his aunt," Owen said.

"His aunt?" Jeremy said. "You're ready for that next step. Even with her memory loss?"

"She said she loved me," Owen said. "She loved me before and she loves me, again. I was hoping that she would have got the miracle of her memory back but I got a different kind of miracle. She loves me and wants to be with me."

"Yeah, that is a great gift you got there, Owen. I am happy for you," Jeremy said.

"I am happy for me, too," Owen said. "I am going to ask her to marry me. Today."

"Congratulations, little bro," Jeremy said.

"Well, she hasn't said yes as yet," Owen said. "Tonight, I am going to do it, when we get back home."

That night, they came home, tired and happy. It had been a good day. "We got some really nice presents," Cristina said.

"Yeah, we did," Owen said. "I have something else for you." He pulled her in front of the fireplace, where he picked up a small velvet box he had hidden behind a vase on the mantel.

He dropped to one knee. Was he going to do what she thought he was going to do?

"Cristina Yang, I love you with all of my heart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" he said, looking up at her with earnest, blue eyes.

Cristina blinked in disbelief.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your comments. I do appreciate reading them.**


	25. Chapter 25 She said yes

"Are you sure about this?" Cristina asked, as she gazed at her boyfriend on bended knee.

"Yes, I am very sure. I know I love you and that you loved me, not once, but twice. That should say something. That we are meant to be together," he said.

She paused. There were so many things she still could not remember. Except that she loved him.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, yes, yes."

He got up from kneeling stance and gently kissed her. "Let me put this on you." He slipped the engagement ring on her finger.

"I have never been much of a ring girl but even I can admit that it is huge and beautiful," she said, staring at the emerald-cut three-carat ring. "I will wear it proudly. I can't wait to show Meredith."

"So we're getting married," he said. "That's so good to say."

"Yup, can we get married after I graduate from the program?" she asked.

"Yes, if that is what you want. I am ready anytime that you are. I can be ready next week, if you were so inclined," he said.

"Next week? No way, Jose," she said. "Weddings take a lot of planning and you have a very large family, who I am sure would want to be involved in it, as well as my sisters and my mom."

Owen suddenly chuckled. "What are you laughing at?" she asked.

"When you mentioned my family, I thought about my nephew, Donald, the one who has the crush on you. Well, he is going to be devastated that you are going to marry me," she said.

"Stop being mean to Donald. He is a very nice boy. He got me a Pepperdine hoodie," Cristina said. "And don't think that I didn't know what you were doing when you lifted up my hair this evening and kissed me on the neck in front of the poor boy."

"Well, he had to be told the harsh truth, Cristina. That he had no chance in hell with you. That you were mine," he said.

"Who said he didn't have a chance with me? He is a young stud. He's only 19 and I hear teenagers have great stamina," she teased.

"Are you saying that I am old, young lady? How dare you? I'm going to show you how much stamina I really have," he said, as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Whoohoo!" she yelled. "I have a great view of your butt. It is a particularly luscious butt, I might add."

"You'll see more in a minute," he said, as they carried her up the stairs and they disappeared into their bedroom. Their laughter echoed throughout the townhouse.

* * *

><p>The next day, they told their respective families about the engagement. The Hunt side of the family was ecstatic. The Hunt wives were very excited that they were going to welcome another woman to the family, even though she was way younger and slimmer than they were. But they could forgive her for that. The Hunt men ribbed their brother about having to add to the grandchildren count to the family. Owen told them that he had to get married and get Cristina pregnant first before that happened. Mrs. Hunt was so happy, they could hear her crying on the phone.<p>

When they made their long-distance calls to the other side of the country, Cristina's sisters whooped it up when they heard that their little sister was finally going to join the ranks of the married Yang sisters. David Yang wasn't as excited that his youngest child was getting married. It was a sign that he was getting old. Helen Yang looked forward to the idea of planning a wedding. It was she who asked Cristina the crucial question.

"Cristina, what about after graduation? Where are you going to look for a job, now that you are getting married and he is at Stanford?" Helen asked her youngest daughter.

Cristina was ready with the answer. "If I don't get a job at a nearby university, I think I will join the corporate ranks. There are a whole lot of high tech companies, here."

"Well, okay, if you know what you are doing," Helen said. "I am happy for you."

"Mom, I may not be sure where I am going to work in the future but the one thing I am sure about is that I love him and I want to be with him," she said.

"As long as he makes you happy," Helen said.

"He does," Cristina answered.

"Good. Looking forward to helping with the wedding, Cristina," Helen said.

"Yeah, that won't happen until after I graduate," Cristina said. "So we have a while yet."

"Alright, bye, Cristina," Helen said, before she hung up the phone.

As Cristina put down the receiver, Owen came up and hugged from behind. "So was your family happy?"

"Yup, my sisters are happy that I am going to join them in the married ranks and my mom is looking forward to planning the wedding. Only my dad has expressed reservations," Cristina said.

"Your dad? Why? Doesn't he like me?" Owen turned her around with a concerned look on his face.

"Oh, it has nothing to do with you. I could be marrying anybody and he would still have reservations. It is the mere fact that I am getting married is what he doesn't like. I am his youngest kid and he is over-protective. Also, because I am his youngest daughter, he thinks it means that he is getting old," Cristina said. "But he will get over it, once I give him a grandchild."

"A grandchild. Now I really like the sound of that," Owen said. He already had visions of himself, cooing at their baby.

"Yeah, I knew you would but not for a while. I have to get out of school, first," she reminded him.

* * *

><p>They lived in engagement bliss for the next few weeks. His mom threw him and Cristina an engagement party for friends and family at her house, just after the start of the new year. Cristina got to meet a lot of Owen's friends, as well as her friends were also there, including Meredith, April, Alex and even Jackson.<p>

Owen was in the back patio, having a drink, when he was joined by Professor Sloan.

"So you're taking the plunge. You are a braver man than me," Sloan said, taking a sip.

"Why, Sloan? There comes a time in your life when you want to stop all of the dating and the single life and commit yourself to someone," Owen said. "I want that and I am ready for that. So what does this mean? Things not going well for you and Professor Portillo?"

"Ah, the fine lady professor and myself are still dating but it is certainly not exclusive. We both see other people. It is no big deal," Sloan said. But Owen could tell from his tone that he was not being entirely truthful about the situation.

"Are you sure about that?" Owen asked. Sloan could tell that Owen knew he was lying.

"Okay, I want to be exclusive but she does not," Sloan said. "There, I said it."

"I guess she is the one not ready for the commitment," Owen said, draining his drink.

"Yeah, well, when you have the reputation of being the playboy professor with a new girl on your arm every month, nobody wants to believe that you want to settle down with one woman," Sloan said. "My sad lot in life."

"Let me tell you about my experience. Before Cristina got into the accident and lost her memory, we were at a place where it seemed that I was committed to taking the next step in our relationship but she wasn't. Then, the accident happened and she lost her memory of me and it seemed like we were back to square one," Owen said.

"I needed her to fall in love with me, again. Do you know how hard that was for me? The woman I loved, didn't remember me. But you know what? Even though she still does not remember everything, she fell in love with me, again. She fell in love with me, twice. And she said yes to my proposal," he continued.

"So some might may view that her memory loss was a tragedy. Yes, it was, but in a way, it was a new beginning. A clean slate, a fresh start, where she didn't have the same commitment issues as before," he added. "It helped us to move forward."

He watched his fiancée chat with his mother on the other end of the room. She turned and gazed in his direction. Their eyes met and they both smiled at each other. It was as if everyone else at the party had disappeared and it was only the two of them in the room.

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><p>School started two weeks later after the engagement party and Cristina was worried. She had missed an entire semester. She was so far behind everyone else. Some of her friends were almost finished with their dissertation and preparing for the defense. She was still finishing up her research. She had lost so much time. Sloan met with her and discussed all of the things she still needed to do. Instead of helping her feel more at ease, it made her more anxious and overwhelmed. She felt she couldn't breathe, after she left Sloan's office.<p>

She made a beeline to Owen's office, locked the door, pushed back his chair away from his desk and straddled him, resting her head on his shoulder. He wondered what was wrong because he could feel his neck, getting wet with her hot tears.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked, stroking her back.

"I am so far behind my friends and I still have so much more work to do," she said.

"You still have lots of time, Cristina. Nobody is expecting you to rush this," he said. "You just recovered from a serious accident."

"But I don't want them to leave me behind," she said. "I wanted to graduate with them."

"I am sorry about that but we can't help the circumstances," he said, trying to soothe her troubled mind.

"You know what you can do to make me feel better?" she said, raising her head to look into his eyes.

"Okay, anything," he said.

"Give me some nookie," she whispered and looked around, even though they were the only ones in his office.

"Here? Now? In my office?" he was incredulous.

"I already locked the door," she said. "Please? I'll do the work."

"Hmm, you're doing the work. Well, then, I am game," he said. "You're sure you locked the door?"

"Yes," she said, as she got up and stripped off her jeans and underwear. She helped him pull off his trousers and his boxer briefs. She reached down and started stroking his cock, while kissing him deeply on the mouth. She stroked him to a maximum hardness before she lowered herself on him, as he sat in his chair.

As she worked her body on top of him, he told her, "There are two rules of office nookie. Number one is please keep the noise down and number two is it has to be quick."

"I can do that," she said.

"Are you sure about that? You are a screamer," he chuckled.

"I will channel my screams in another direction," she said. "Also, I hope this chair can take all of this action."

"Me, too. I wouldn't like to explain to Dr. Webber how I broke my chair," he laughed.

"Stop talking," she ordered. "Let's just do this."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, as he did a zipping motion across his lips. The room fell almost silent except for the low moans and groans that emitted from the two of them. They were both well into it, when they heard a sharp knock on the door. Owen put a finger on Cristina's lips.

"Dr. Hunt, it is me Professor Portillo. Are you in there?" they heard the person say. Then, there was a jiggle of the doorknob. Both Cristina and Owen laughed silently, while still moving together in a rhythmic motion. Professor Portillo could almost swear that she heard a creaking noise coming from the office but she backed away from the door, thinking it was probably her imagination. It was a good thing, too, because when they finally came, they made a little more noise than they anticipated.

Cristina lay back against the desk, with him still inside of her. She was breathless. That certainly helped to get rid of some of her anxiety. She rose slowly and grabbed some tissues from his desk to wipe herself, before putting on back her underwear and jeans.

She leaned over and kissed him on the nose. "Thank you. I feel much better," she said.

"My pleasure. I am glad that I could be of service," he said. She watched him put on back his briefs and trousers before she headed to the door to unlock it.

"I guess Professor Portillo will be back soon. Please make yourself presentable," she laughed, wickedly, before she left. "Who knows what you have been doing?"

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. It is always nice to read what you think.**


	26. Chapter 26 Exploring other options

**A/N: I have neglected this story a bit. I do apologize.**

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><p>Cristina looked at Meredith getting ready for her graduation. They were in one of the restrooms at school, where Meredith was putting on her graduation gown.<p>

Cristina was the only one among all of their friends, not graduating. She envied them so much. She still had another semester to do because of that darn accident.

Meredith looked at her. She knew her friend felt miserable about being left behind.

"Hey, Cristina, you will get here, soon enough," Meredith said.

"You're all leaving me," Cristina said, sadly. "You're going to Boston, Jackson is going to Chicago, April is going to New Orleans and Alex is going to Houston. So what is going to happen to you and Derek, now that you are moving clear across the country?"

"Well, we are going to try a long-distance relationship and see if it will work," Meredith said. "I have my doubts but Derek already has tenure here and he is not giving that up. But I need to get experience so this is why I am going."

She looked at her friend. "But it seems that you're not going to move from Palo Alto, after you graduate? You are engaged to be married. Owen is obviously staying here so that kind of limits where you can apply for jobs."

"I know," Cristina said. "But I do love him."

"Hmm," Meredith said.

"What do you mean by that? That 'hmm'" Cristina said, more than curious by her friend's statement.

"Well, before the accident, before the memory loss, I was under the impression that you were going to be looking outside of this area for a job. It's not like if we could have all stayed here. Palo Alto is lovely but it's not like we are all going to get jobs around here," Meredith said, as she fixed her cap on her head.

Cristina stayed silent. Did she really think all of that before the accident?

"How do I look?" Meredith asked.

"Beautiful and smart," Cristina said. She looked so woeful as she said it, so Meredith gave her a hug.

"Don't worry, you're going to get here soon enough. You've made great progress after the accident," Meredith said. "Okay, let's just go down to the auditorium."

The two girls headed down to the auditorium. Owen was already there. As one of the faculty members, he was on stage with all of the other professors. Meredith headed down to the section where the graduates were, while Cristina found a seat among the general audience of friends and family, who were all armed with cameras, each of them hoping to get the best shot of their loved one.

Owen looked for her in the audience from the stage. He spotted her head of raven curls. He gave her a small wave; she waved back to acknowledge that she saw him. That was all they could do because the ceremony started right after.

Cristina had to admit that it was a great ceremony. The guest speaker was a former alumnus, who had made good in the corporate world and was now CEO of his own start-up billion-dollar company. He had been an MBA graduate of the school. She decided that if she could, she would like to chat with him.

At the reception afterwards, Cristina sidled up to Owen and asked if she could be introduced to the guest speaker. He agreed and they went to introduce themselves to the young CEO, with the curly brown hair and the light brown eyes.

"Mr. Marzowski," Owen said. "That was a rather inspiring speech you gave to the graduates."

"Thank you," Stuart Marzowski said. "So you are one of the members of the faculty?"

"Yes, I am. Owen Hunt. I teach finance. And this young lady is Cristina Yang, a PhD student in finance and she wanted to meet you," Owen said, shaking the young entrepreneur's hand.

Marzowski looked interestedly in Cristina's direction. "Ah, a PhD student. So you're going to be an academic."

"Well, maybe," Cristina answered. "But I was thinking of exploring my corporate options. I was thinking that I could have a chat with you about it, as a former student of this school."

"We might not be able to get much talking done at this function, since this is basically a meet and greet with everyone. But if you want to have a chat, just call my office. Luckily for you, our head office is in Palo Alto. Just tell my executive assistant, Jacinta that I told you to call," he said, smiling. He handed her his business card. "I am pretty sure that there are lots of opportunities for bright, young people in a company like mine. We can chat about it. I will await your call."

He touched her on the arm.

"Thank you, sir," Cristina said, gratefully.

"You don't have to call me sir. Call me Stu," Marzowski said.

"Okay, Stu," Cristina said. Just then, the Dean of the school came over and asked Marzowski to meet some of the school's main benefactors.

"Ooh," Cristina said. "This is going to be exciting. I get a private appointment with a leading CEO. That is awesome."

Owen wondered what had just happened right in front of him. Was Marzowski just being helpful and cooperative to Cristina? Or did he just hit on her? He smiled at Cristina. She seemed so thrilled about it all.

* * *

><p>The next week was spent in saying goodbye to all of her friends. They had a farewell get-together at one of their beloved bars.<p>

They all piled into their favorite booth and ordered a round of beers. Her friends were all eager to be starting their new lives in cities far away from Palo Alto. Cristina felt so alone. Meredith noticed her forlorn face.

"We can always keep in touch," Meredith said. "There is always Skype, so we can see each other, still, even though we are thousands of miles away."

"Yeah," Alex said. "We need to keep in touch. We're going in totally without any friends in these new cities, so we need to keep all our old contacts alive."

"Okay," Cristina said. "I know you guys are trying to make me feel better. I am happy for you. I really am. Ooh, I have some awesome news. Remember Stuart Marzowski, the speaker at your graduation." Everyone nodded. "Well, I have an appointment with him."

"How did you swing that?" April asked. "The man runs a billion-dollar empire and he is willing to meet with a student. He must want something else."

"What?" Cristina said. "Why should he want something else?"

"Oh, April," Meredith said. "Don't rain on her parade. She got an appointment with one of the hottest, youngest CEOs in the country. That should be interesting."

"I didn't really notice if he was hot," Cristina said.

"Oh, come on," April said. "Cosmopolitan named him as one of the top 10 bachelors in the country. You should have seen that shirtless picture they had of him on the beach."

"Leave her alone," Jackson said. "She's an engaged woman. Stop torturing her about hot CEO billionaires."

"Yeah," Alex said. "Let's just drink to the last time we are here together."

The five friends clinked their beer bottles together, each of them, taking a swig of beer.

* * *

><p>Cristina was waiting in Marzowski's outer office. The blonde administrative assistant, Jacinta, took a look at the nervous, young student. Cristina's legs were shaking.<p>

"Don't worry, honey," she said. "He doesn't bite."

"Okay, I know that," she said. "Just a little bit of nervous energy, I have here."

Jacinta smiled at her. It was rare that the CEO ever saw students. There must be something special about her, she thought. She noted the long, dark ebony curls, her flawless skin and her tiny body. She wondered if that had anything to do with it. She did know that her boss had a weakness for brunettes.

Just then, her phone buzzed. "You can send Miss Yang in," Marzowski said.

"Yes, Mr. Marzowski," Jacinta said. She hung up the phone and told Cristina she could go in. Cristina picked up her handbag and her folder and entered the office. It was not quite what she expected. His youth was clearly evident because there were video game machines, a foosball machine and a bicycle hung up on one of the walls. The furnishings were all very contemporary.

"Wow," she said. "I never expected your office to look like this."

"Well, I am not my stuffy, old dad," he said, coming forward to shake her hand. "So how are you, Miss Yang?"

"I am doing very well. It is indeed kind of you to see me, Mr. Marzowski," she said, shaking his hand.

"Oh, please call me Stu," he said.

"Well, then you have to call me Cristina," she said, with a smile.

"Okay, Cristina. Have a seat. Let's just get down to this. You're looking for corporate opportunities for someone like yourself," he said.

"Yes," she said. "I have reasons that I want to stay in the Palo Alto area and there may not be many academic positions available to me, if I stay here. So I am looking to see if there are corporate positions that may interest me."

"Okay, do you have your CV?" he said. She opened her folder and handed it to him.

"You're a very impressive student but not much on the work experience side, except for academic positions," he said.

"Yes, I know," she said in an apologetic tone.

"Don't worry about that. Companies like ours tend to pluck young people straight from college, if they are bright, young and innovative. You are far more qualified academically than many of the people here, so that is a plus for you," he said. "So are you interested in just finance?"

"Well, that is where my training has been but I am open to new areas," she said.

"How about this? Every summer, we take a lot of young people on internships to learn all aspects of the company to find out what they like. Do you want to part of that program? It doesn't pay much as a regular job but you do get to experience a lot of the company. Maybe you can find out what you like," he said.

"You're offering me an internship? That would be wonderful," she said.

"So you're going to take up this offer," he said. "Good." He got on his phone. "Jacinta, can you direct Miss Yang to the human resources department. Tell them that she is going be part of our summer internship program."

He got up and ushered Cristina to the door. "Jacinta will take care of you, Cristina. So I will see you here on Monday."

"Yes, sir," she said.

"No, no," he said. "Not sir."

"Yes, Stu," she said, as she left his office. He found himself watching her, as she walked away.

* * *

><p>Later that day, she was so excited to tell Owen the news. "I have an internship at Marzowski's company. He offered it to me when I was there, earlier today."<p>

"That's wonderful, baby," Owen said. "What are you going to do?"

"Well, they are going to put me in all of the different departments over the three-month period. Maybe I can figure out what I like," she said.

"So does this mean you are going to abandon going into academics?" he asked.

"No, but I have to be realistic. There aren't that many academic positions available, especially if I want to stay here with you," she said.

He smiled and pulled her close as she rested her head on his chest. "I know that you're doing this for me. All your friends have left for positions, elsewhere and I know it is hard for you."

"Yeah, but maybe I have been narrowing my scope a little bit too much. I guess I should get out there and see what else is available," she said.

"Okay," he said, even though he felt a little uneasy about how she got this internship.

Over the weekend, Cristina and Owen went shopping. Though the atmosphere at the high-tech company was casual, she needed to get business casual clothes. She really couldn't be seen, wearing her ratty jeans and t-shirts that she could get away with wearing at school.

On Monday, she got dressed in a pair of black trousers and a crisp, dark blue shirt. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful," he said. He dropped her off at her place of work. She waved at him, as she went into the building.

He waved back at her and tried to convince himself that this was the best thing for her.

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><p><strong>AN Please leave your comments and reviews. I do appreciate them.**


	27. Chapter 27 First day of work

**A/N: I have neglected this a bit. I do apologize. I will try to do better with this story.**

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><p>Cristina was excited about her first day of work. She sat there in the HR department with all of the eager young interns, ready to start their program. The receptionist had all ushered them into a large conference room. Cristina looked around at everyone. Including herself, there were about 12 interns – six young men and six young women. They were told to sit in front of the folder that had their name on it. They eagerly opened the folders and found a booklet of rules, a Blackberry phone, the company's annual report, pens, notepaper, a company polo shirt, a schedule of their work assignments over the next three months and a confidentiality agreement.<p>

The head of Human Resources, Mrs. Carla Pritchett, came in and introduced herself to the young interns.

"Good morning. I am so glad that you all got here in time. We always look for punctuality in hiring new recruits to our company," she said. "I see you have already opened your folders. Please use some discretion with your Blackberry, which must be returned at the end of your internship. Please also have a quick read of the confidentiality agreement, sign it and pass it to the head of the table.

"Each of you will start in a different department, where you will be assessed by the head of that department on your performance. Of course, you will also get a chance to assess our operations, make suggestions for improvement and if the suggestions are implemented, you will be rewarded."

"Rewarded in what way?" a young man with a cherubic face and floppy blonde hair asked. "Financially?"

"Depends on what the recommendations are. However, don't expect too much. You may get gift certificates, dinner for two at a restaurant, a weekend trip to Tahoe, spa visits, an Alaskan cruise. If the recommendation results in substantial savings for the company, then I am pretty sure that Mr. Marzowski will look favorably in coming up with a suitable reward," Mrs. Pritchett said.

"I think I just heard my name mentioned," Stu Marzowski said, as he came in to the conference room. Everyone in the room straightened up as soon as he came in. With his polo shirt and his khaki pants, he didn't have that corporate CEO air but he still commanded respect, even though he was just 30 years old.

"Ah, Mr. Marzowski, I see you are here to welcome our new interns," Mrs. Pritchett said. "Interns, may I present to you our CEO and chairman, Mr. Stuart Marzowski."

"Call me Stu," Marzowski said. "I am not one for too many formalities here." He spotted Cristina's eager face among the 12 interns. "Ah, Cristina, I see you made it. Good." She nodded in acknowledgement.

He took a look at all of the young faces in front of him. "I am pleased to welcome all of you here today. I am not going to be too long here, since the annual report gives you just about everything you would need to know about the company. I just hope you spend the next three months, learning as much as you can about the company and maybe, if you like us and we like you, you can find a place in this company. Have a great three months with us."

The interns clapped. As Stu left, Mrs. Pritchett told them that they were divided into pairs and over the next 12 weeks, they would experience Finance, Research & Development, Human Resources, Distribution, Marketing & Communications and the CEO's Office.

"What about Manufacturing?" the floppy haired young man asked again.

"Our manufacturing operations are overseas," Mrs. Pritchett said. "We get greater economies of scale there." The young man looked displeased at the answer but he didn't say anything.

"So let's get you in your pairs. Cristina and Marcus, Finance. Jenny and Sloan, R & D, Marybeth and Lawrence, HR, Lorna and Kazim, Distribution, Raj and Willa, Marketing and finally, Abby and William, the CEO's office. After two weeks, you will be placed in another area. We have representatives from each area to take you to your respective departments," Mrs. Pritchett.

Cristina and Marcus, who turned out to the guy with the floppy blonde hair, followed a tall, thin gentleman with glasses. He looked like a typical accountant type.

"Marcus Stanhope," the young man said.

"Cristina Yang," she answered. The two shook hands.

"I see that the CEO knows you," Marcus said.

"Well, I met him when he was the guest speaker at our graduation at Stanford," Cristina explained. "He was the one who offered me the internship."

"Oh, so you graduated from Stanford?" Marcus asked.

"No, not as yet. It was at my friends' graduation," she replied. "I have got one more semester before I get my PhD in Finance."

"Whoa, you're doing your PhD. I just have my Bachelor's in Computer & Software Engineering," he said.

"Well, you're probably more suited to this company than I am," Cristina said.

"Well, I am really interested in the R&D department here. That's where they create all of the games and test them, too," he said. "I am going to have a ball in there, once I survive the Finance and HR departments. You should enjoy the Finance Department since that is your specialty."

"Well, Finance is alright but I was thinking that maybe, I could see what else is out there," Cristina said. "This may be a turning point for me. All my life, I was thinking I was going to be an academic. I just might find something that I like better."

The tall, thin man showed them to their desks. They both grinned at each other that they actually had desks. "Miss Jones will be your supervisor and she will show you what we do and get you started."

Miss Jones turned out to be a perky red-headed creature, who bounced as she walked. "Good morning, people. I am Miss Deandra Jones and you must be Marcus and Cristina. Welcome to our humble department. It is not so humble because we control the purse strings of the company. Let's get you started."

The two young interns found themselves enmeshed in debits and credits and receivables and the like. By lunchtime, their brains were full of figures and they were ready for lunch.

They went to the cafeteria that was beyond anything they had ever seen. It featured all different types of food. Cristina finally settled on sushi and Marcus picked up some Thai food. They found themselves a nice corner table, where they could view all of the other employees of the company.

"Let's just guess who works where. Well, we already know the finance and accounting people, the long haired, scruffy guys – they just have to be R & D. They're writing code and testing games all day, so they don't care what they look like," Marcus said.

"The smartly-dressed, perfectly coiffed folks at that table are probably Marketing & Communications. They must look good all of the time," Cristina said.

"Yeah, I agree. The ones in the overalls – probably Distribution. The HR people seem rather nondescript, though," Marcus said.

"Well, we know the people at the CEO's office. That one is easy because the CEO is among them," Cristina said, pointing out the CEO at a table on the other side of the cafeteria.

"Why the heck does it look like he is heading in our direction?" Marcus said. "Look down, Cristina, don't catch his eye. He won't notice us. I can't have him come across here while I am stuffing my face with noodles. I am pretty sure I have sauce on my face."

Cristina and Marcus looked down and studied their food, intently. "Oh, crap," Marcus said, taking a sneak peek up. "He is definitely heading this way."

"Hello, Cristina, young man," Stu said, leaning on their table and propping himself up with his arms. "How is your first day going?"

"Fine," Cristina said. "We're doing accounting today. By the way, this is Marcus; he is my partner for the next 12 weeks." Marcus put out his hand to shake the CEO's hand. "Pleased to meet you, sir," he said. "Likewise," Stu replied.

"So are we enjoying ourselves?" Stu asked Cristina.

"Yes, sir," Marcus said, enthusiastically, before he realized that Stu wasn't talking to him. He turned red in the face and stayed quiet.

"Yes. It has been so far very informative and interesting," Cristina answered. That sounded like a good, diplomatic answer, she thought.

"Alright," Stu said. "If you wish, you can drop by my office during your internship to chat about it. Just interested with how you are getting along, since that I was the one, who picked you for the program. Like to see how you are progressing. See you later."

They watched as Stu walked away.

"He likes you," Marcus said, in a teasing, sing-song voice. "Why else would he single you out to drop by his office?"

"Of course not. He just wants to check on my progress," Cristina said. "Besides, I am engaged." She showed him the sparkler on her left ring finger.

"Being engaged doesn't make others immune to your charms," Marcus said, laughing a little too loudly. Cristina looked at him in disgust. "Let's just get back to our office."

The rest of the evening was spent delving into more accounting. At the end of the day, both Marcus and Cristina concluded that accounting was not for either of them.

* * *

><p>Owen picked up Cristina at 5 p.m. that afternoon. He was already waiting for her. She ran to the car as she was eager to see his face. She jumped in the car, grabbed his face between her two hands and kissed him, passionately.<p>

"How was your first day of work?" he asked, pleased that she was so happy to see him.

"I found out that I am not going to be an accountant," Cristina said, laughing. "We work in pairs and my partner, Marcus, was pulling out his hair by the time we were through."

"Okay," Owen laughed. "So you still enjoyed yourself?"

"Yup, the people are really helpful and co-operative and willing to teach you," she said. "But now, I just want to spend the rest of the evening with you."

"Great," he said. "I already picked up dinner." He pointed to the bags in the back seat.

"Fabulous, I am famished," she said. They headed home and soon found themselves at their dinner table, chowing down on their food.

"Ooh, I have to tell you that the cafeteria at the company is the most amazing place. You can get almost anything, there," Cristina said. "It was mind-blowing. I just had sushi, though. We saw the CEO there – Stu. He came to talk to us."

"Stu?" Owen said, his hackles were already starting to rise.

"Yup," Cristina said. "He told me that I could visit his office to chat, if I wanted, since he was the one who got me in the program and wanted to keep tabs on my progress."

"He did, did he?" Owen said. He watched the engagement ring on her finger, the diamond sparkling under the lights. It comforted him to see it there. At least, Stu would be aware that she was already taken, he thought.

After dinner, they cuddled on the couch, as she lay on top of him. He was half falling asleep, when he could feel her lips on his neck, kissing him. He opened his eyes and pulled her up, so their mouths could meet in a deep, satisfying and soul-searching kind of kiss. They continued to hungrily make out each other. He could not resist her; he was like a moth to a flame. They hurriedly pulled each other's clothes off, as they slipped on to the carpeted floor.

"I want you inside of me now," she whispered in his ear. "Anything you want," he whispered back. "Now," she commanded again.

He entered her in one swift motion and they both shuddered as he penetrated her. She closed her eyes and cleared everything else out of her mind, as he pounded into her, trying to get as much as himself inside of her. "God!" she screamed. "I love you!"

"I love you, too," he panted. "If you knew how much." Her warm, wet walls tightened around him, he knew she was going to come soon hard and fast. He felt gratified when he heard her screams as she climaxed. He would only allow himself to come until she did. Even after he did, he lay on top of her, still inside of her, as their breathing became less shallow and more even.

"Cristina, I know people say they love each other a lot during sex," he said. "So how much do you love me?" His insecurity was showing a little bit.

"My love for you is as large as the universe," she said. "Why do you ask? I am wearing your engagement ring."

"Nothing," he said, as he buried his face against her and breathed her essence in.

They lay together in silence, basking in the afterglow.

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><p><strong>AN Please leave your comments. They spur me on to continue.**


	28. Chapter 28 Happily ever after

**A/N: FINAL CHAPTER**

Cristina and Marcus were overly excited. They were on a plane, headed to Vegas to a gamers' convention. The company was going to promote its latest two game offerings – one was an update of an older game and the other was a brand new game. As the interns assigned to the Marketing department, Cristina and Marcus were automatically chosen to go to the convention. However, one of the requirements is that they each had to dress up as one of the characters in the game, when they were manning the company's booth.

Owen had dropped off Cristina to the airport that morning.

"Why don't you come with me to the convention?" she begged.

"No, no, I am not the video game type," he said. "I would stick out like a sore thumb. Just imagine boring Finance professor among all those video gamers."

"You are not boring," she said. "If you were boring, I wouldn't be with you."

"Aw, give me a kiss," he said. "I am so glad you are enjoying yourself with this internship."

"Yup, kinda bummed that it is the last week of the internship but what a way to end it," Cristina said.

"Hey, Cristina, we gotta get going," Marcus shouted, before he went into the security line.

"Coming," she yelled back. She turned back to Owen. "If you change your mind, we are staying at Caesar's." She gave him a brief kiss on the lips. "Love you."

Her three months at the company had gone by so far and this trip to Vegas was the icing on the cake. The VP of Marketing would be there to launch the new games.

So there they were on the plane, heading to Vegas. "So we're going to be characters from Galaxy Adventure Journey 5: The Battle of the Gorgons," Marcus said. "I am going to be a warrior and you are going to be a princess."

"Please tell me it is a cute outfit," Cristina said.

Marcus snickered. "From a guy's perspective, your warrior princess outfit is pretty darn cute. I am not sure if you would think so." He handed her a drawing of the warrior princess costume. She gasped. "That's all there is to that costume!" she shrieked. "It's pretty tiny. Maybe it is a good thing that my fiancé is not coming to Vegas."

"Well, maybe it is," Marcus said. "A lot of your body will be exposed. It is basically like a bronze bikini with some floaty attachments and a huge gun. You're supposed to attract nerdy gamers to our booth to try out the new games." He took a good look at her body. "It is a good thing that you are fit."

"Must we use sex to attract gamers?" she asked. "Are we stooping to such measures?"

"Of course we are. Sex sells," Marcus said. Cristina groaned.

* * *

><p>Owen was at home, reading. He made himself a snack. He went back to read. He turned on the television to keep himself company. He put down his book and watched someone bake a pie on the Food Network. After the pie-baking was over, he wondered what he could do with himself. He didn't feel like calling Sloan, who was now caught up in another romance.<p>

He missed Cristina. The townhouse was so quiet without her. He wanted to call her. She was only gone for one day and there he was, unable to do without her. He picked up his phone and flipped through the pictures, remembering where they were and what they were doing. Some of the pictures were from the year, which Cristina no longer remembered.

There was that trip to Seattle, where she caught that fish at Pike Place Fish Market. She had been worried that she would not have been able to catch it and embarrass herself. But she still did it. She nearly slipped because the fish was almost as big as her but she held on to it. She had been so proud of herself.

Then there was the time, they drove down to San Francisco and went to the Giants game and she got into a verbal battle with a hot dog vendor, who had put sauerkraut on her hot dog, when she specifically did not want it. He had to take a picture of it because the vendor outweighed Cristina by 75 pounds but she was not backing down. She was so feisty, he thought. Another memory she did not have. It was sad that they had shared so much during that first year together and she had no memory of it.

He groaned. He missed her so much. He found himself dialing the airline and booking a flight to Las Vegas. He then booked a suite at the Palms. He knew she was staying at Caesar but then so was everybody else from the company. He packed a carry-on suitcase and headed to the airport. He checked into his hotel and headed to the Convention Center. He looked for her company's booth. It was one of the biggest at the convention. There were so many people here dressed in weird costumes. He looked for her. He spotted her head of shiny, dark curls, even though she was turned away from him. But what the heck was she wearing?

"Cristina," he called out to her. She turned around and he was even more taken aback by her costume. Her face lit up as soon as she saw him. She ran to him and hugged him.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he asked. He almost felt the need to take off his jacket to cover her up. Even when she wore a bathing suit, it was not as skimpy as this outfit.

"It's my work outfit. It is a costume from one of the games," she said. "I am a warrior princess. Look at Marcus, he is wearing the male version of it." Owen took a look at Marcus. "I think Marcus is wearing more clothes than you," he said.

"Well, his chest is bare, except for that neck collar," Cristina noted. "I was really embarrassed the first day but I got used to it, when I realized so many of the girls were dressed this way." Owen looked across at the other booths. It was true. There was an abundance of skimpy costumes on the floor of the convention.

"I know you don't like this. I can tell from your face," she said. "I only have to wear this until about five and then the next shift comes in. Where are you staying?"

"The Palms. Hope you can come across there and stay with me," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I am sharing a room right now with one of the girls from the company," Cristina said.

"So how are you liking Vegas?" he asked. He knew he had taken her there before but she wouldn't have remembered that.

"It's pretty exciting," she said. "I played the slots and lost all of my money." He shook his head. "I will leave you and come back for you at five," he said.

Promptly at five, he showed up. They went to her room and got her things and he moved her into his room at the Palms. They had a sumptuous dinner and came back to the hotel, feeling mighty frisky. They spent the night, letting their bodies getting re-acquainted after a day away from each other.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Cristina woke up by herself. Owen had probably gone for a run. She lay back on the bed, nestled under the covers. There was something familiar about the room. She thought that was strange because she knew that she hadn't been to Vegas before. There was a knock on the door. She ran to open it, thinking it was Owen, who had forgotten his key. She ran to open it. It was Housekeeping.<p>

The dark-haired woman asked, "Just checking if anyone was here. Will come back in an hour or so."

"It's you," Cristina screamed. The woman's face had triggered off something in Cristina's brain. It was more than déjà vu.

"Excuse me, miss," the housekeeper said. She was used to her share of crazy guests before and had to learn how to deal with them.

"It's you," Cristina shrieked, again. "I was here last year. I had come to pick up the newspaper outside of the door. I bent over and the door locked behind me and I was trapped out here, wearing only a bra and panties. You were the housekeeper who let me back into my room because my boyfriend had gone out for a run. Do you remember me?"

"Ah, yes, miss. I do remember. You were hysterical," the housekeeper said.

"Your name is Carlotta," Cristina said. "I was hysterical because I was locked out there for five minutes and you were the first person I saw."

"Yes, you left me a nice tip," Carlotta said. "$200 – I remember that."

"Well, I was grateful for your help," Cristina said. "You saved me that day. My boyfriend laughed at me for the entire day."

"Well, it is good to see you again, miss," Carlotta said. "I will be back in an hour."

"Yes, I will be out by then. I have to go to work at the Convention Center," Cristina said. As she closed the door, she remembered everything about their last Las Vegas visit. No wonder the room looked familiar, she thought. But it was not only her trip to Vegas she remembered. It was a lot more. She remembered a lot of other things, too, like that trip to Seattle, where she caught the fish, or the time they went to the baseball game and she got into that fight that vendor, or the time they went camping and fishing, much to her chagrin. Had her brain healed and she didn't even know it? She was remembering almost everything. She was excited to tell Owen but she would have to tell him later because she had to go to work.

She took a quick shower, changed into her costume, put a coat over that and got out of there. She thought she would grab a coffee and a muffin from the breakfast buffet on the way out.

By the time Owen came back from his run, she was gone. He changed his clothes, grabbed something to eat and headed to the Convention Center to see her. He saw her, immediately, in her bronze-colored costume. "I am in a bit of a panic," she said.

"Why?" he asked. "It's Marcus," she said. "He won't be in today. He got drunk, last night and got married to a girl he met yesterday. He is trying to extricate himself out of that marriage, right now."

"What?" Owen laughed.

"Well, I don't have a partner, right now and I need someone to wear his costume," she said. She took a step back and looked at him. "You know you could fit into Marcus' costume."

"Hell, no," he said. "I am a boring finance professor. Don't you forget that?"

"Come on, please, everybody else has their partner, except me," she said. "Look around." He looked at the other folks in the booth – there were three other couples. Each of them was dressed as a character from the game and was paired off.

"Don't you love me?" she asked.

"Of course I love you. I love you more than anything else in the world," he said.

"Exactly, Owen," she pleaded. He looked at her. It was rare he could refuse her anything. He weighed his options. He would be able to help Cristina out while the likelihood of anyone at Stanford seeing him in this ridiculous outfit was very slim.

"Okay," he said. "But I am not discussing the game with anyone because I don't know anything about it. I am just going to stand there and look good."

"Of course, honey. You always look good," she said. When he did change into his costume, all of the girls gaped. "Wow," said a girl with honey brown hair. "You are sure an improvement from Marcus."

"See, I told you that you would look good," she said. He felt like an idiot but at least, he looked good. He stayed with her for her shift. He was more than grateful when her shift ended and he could change back into his normal clothes. "Let it be known that I did this only for you," he said. "I made myself look like a fool but I guess you make me to do things that I never thought I would do."

"I know," she said, as they headed out of the Convention Center. "You would do anything for me. That's why I am sure more than ever that I want to marry you. So let's get married."

"What?" he said, surprised.

"It's Vegas; people get married here all of the time. Look, Marcus did it. I know he made a mistake but we wouldn't be making one. We want to be together," she said. "So let's get married."

"Are you sure about this? What about your family; your sisters wanting to be bridesmaids? What about my gigantic family?" he said.

"Yup, I am very sure. We can throw a party for the families, afterwards. I want to get married to you, now," she said.

"What brought this on?" he asked.

"I remembered, Owen. I remember me, you, my missing year. I remember most everything," she said. "It just happened."

"Oh, my God," he said, holding her close.

"I also remember all of my hesitations about what I was going to do with my life, after I graduate and your place in it," she said.

"Yes, I remember that, too," he said. "And you still want to marry me, now?"

"Yes, because I remember that just before I got into the accident, I was going to tell you that I wanted to be with you," she said. "My life after the accident has shown me that there are other things that I can do. I didn't have to pigeon-hole myself into something that was just academic. I got an internship with a fabulous company and earlier today, I got a call from HR, saying that I had a place in the company, after I graduate. Stu has been an amazing mentor and I would be pleased to work for his company."

"That's amazing, Cristina. Though I have to admit that at first, I was a little worried about Stu's interest in you," he said. "So you want to get married?"

"Yup, we can go to the Marriage Bureau and get a license," she said. "They open until midnight. I checked that out, already."

"We need to get some clothes," he said. "And wedding rings."

"I don't need any big, white dress, just something pretty. You can get a suit. This is Vegas, all of the designers have stores here," she said. "It's no big deal. I also got us a reservation at the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel."

"You've thought of everything, I see," he said. "So let's get married."

So they got their marriage license, got their formal duds, bought platinum wedding bands at a fine jeweler's and headed to the Viva Las Vegas chapel. Owen was surprised to find an Elvis impersonator was going to officiate at the wedding.

"This is legal, right?" Owen asked. "Even with Elvis officiating."

"Of course, he is licensed to do this," Cristina said. "I made sure of that."

As they stood before Elvis, Owen looked at her and said, "You're the most beautiful bride ever."

"Yes, she certainly is," Elvis agreed. "Let's get the show on the road."

"We are gathered here to join this man and this woman in matrimony. Do you have your own vows?" Elvis asked.

"I didn't write any," Owen said. "But I would like to say what's in my heart."

"Well, go ahead, son," Elvis said.

"Cristina, you are the love of my life. From the moment I saw you at Tulley's Inn, I knew you were something special. I cannot imagine living my life without you in it. There was a time that I thought that I lost you but you stayed with me, even though you didn't know me. And you fell in love with me again. That shows we are meant to be," Owen said. "I give you this ring as a sign of my love and devotion." He placed the ring on her finger.

"And you, Cristina?" Elvis encouraged her.

"My life has always had one goal, until I met you. But you changed that. You changed me for the better. You made me into a whole person. You complete me. You allowed me to discover that I could be more than one thing. You're willing to do anything for me and have stuck by me, even when it was hard. I love you, Owen and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I give you this ring as a sign of that I will always be there for you." She put the ring on his finger.

"Aw, you two, you want to make me cry," Elvis said, wiping a tear from his face. "Let's just get to the formal part."

"Owen Hunt, do you take Cristina Yang to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward?"

"I do," he said, firmly.

Cristina Yang, do you take Owen Hunt to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward?" Elvis said.

"I do," Cristina said. Owen's face broke out into a huge smile.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Owen pulled Cristina into a rather lengthy, tonguey kiss.

"Hold on there, pardner," Elvis said. "You want to save some of that for the wedding night." That made them all laugh.

Elvis suddenly pulled out his guitar and started serenading the couple with, "Can't Help Falling In Love."

Their wedding package included Elvis officiating and singing two songs, professional photography and a limo ride. As they took their limo ride back to the Palms, Owen said, "I never thought some of my wedding pictures would include an Elvis impersonator."

"We're married!" Cristina exclaimed, triumphantly.

"Yeah, we are married. I don't know what I am going to tell my family. They were looking forward to our wedding," he said.

"I don't know what I am going to say to mine, either. But you know what, when we have our first baby, they will all forgive us," she said. He smiled; he loved the thought of that – their first baby.

"I love you, Mr. Hunt," she said.

"I love you, Mrs. Hunt," he said. He leaned over and kissed her.

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you liked the ending of this story. Thanks for being on this journey with me. I hope you will all leave your final comments.**


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